Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), ruling Awami League’s student wing, has vacated 19 posts of its central executive body, without announcing the names of any of the dismissed members.
The decision was stated in a media release issued at 12:50am on Wednesday (May 29), signed by President Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon and General Secretary Golam Rabbani.
“Nineteen posts have been vacated according to an emergency decision of the central executive body. The posts will be filled later, after scrutiny,” said the media release.
While asking why the names of those dismissed were not disclosed, party General Secretary Golam Rabbani said: “No one but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is our high-court, supreme-court, and constitution. We will submit all the names, information and documents regarding proof relating to the controversy to her after she returns from abroad.”
“We will notify the 19 post-holders regarding their dismissal by letter,” Rabbani added.
Post-deprived and more vital-position-seeking BCL faction members—who continued their sit-in protest for third consecutive day—labelled this decision a “new farce.”
Saif Babu, spokesperson of the deprived faction and former publicity affairs secretary said: “This farce is a continuation of all the previous ones.
“With this, the president and general secretary have been given a chance to exact their revenge on anyone who shows disobedience, then they can include the person’s name among those of the 19 dismissed members.”
They will continue their protest till their demands are met.
A look back
BCL unveiled its 301-member full-fledged central committee on May 13, a year after its National Council was held.
Later that evening, around 15 were injured in an internal clash over the new committee.
Sixteen new BCL leaders were issued show-cause notices on May 15, following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directives to drop controversial members from the organization, and gave them 24 hours to make their case.
Golam Rabbani claimed that eight of the 16 submitted proof against their involvement with the controversy.
On May 19, BCL's deprived faction had initially gone on a hunger strike, then staged a sit-in, following attacks by other BCL leaders.
The deprived faction had called-off their initial sit-in program later the same night, as Awami League top-brass had given them assurances of: meeting with the premier; a fair trial for the attacks at Modhur Canteen and Teacher-Student Centre (TSC); and the removal of controversial leaders from the central committee upon further investigation, and replacing them with dedicated leaders who were deprived of posts.
On May 20, Chhatra League expelled one of its activists and suspended four others over clashes centring on the newly-announced full-fledged committee.