Editorial Desk :
Some people under the banner of ‘Muktijuddho Mancha’ attacked Dhaka University Central Students’ Union Vice-President Nurul Huq Nur and his followers at DUCSU Bhaban in DU campus on Sunday. A group of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists also took part jointly and fearlessly in the vandalism of worst kind.
About 28 persons, including Nur, have been admitted to hospitals while some of their conditions were stated to be critical. VP Nur was in fear of his life.
In the wake of widespread criticism, police on Monday arrested two leaders of so-called Muktijuddho Mancha, Al Mamun and Yasir Arafat Turjo, in connection with the attack. It is meaningless to talk about police arrest without cooperation of the Vice-Chancellor and the proctors because police were not present on the spot. Now, it is claimed that the CCTV footage are missing.
Police became apparently active after a section of DU students gave a 24-hour
ultimatum to arrest the culprits and try them. The ultimatum came from a rally under the banner of ‘Santrash Birodhi Chhatra Oikya’ at the Raju Sculpture of DU campus yesterday. Police said no case was filed with the concerned police station in connection with the incident until Monday noon.
The government earlier on many occasions threatened its student wing not to indulge in violent activities but surprisingly no restraint is seen, which is most mysterious. So it remains a mystery that despite public warnings by the prime minister, the universities are not safe from the violent attacks on the opposition minded students.
The conclusion is obvious. Either the PM does not mean what she says in public or Chhatra League leaders have gone beyond control. In both cases failure of the government is undeniable.
But university authorities cannot shift the blame on other’s shoulder for the crimes committed on the campus. The students are also not very safe in halls.
Unless they think they have no obligation to maintain peace and order for the students to carry on safely their academic pursuit then they have no reason to shamelessly cling to the jobs and earn fat salaries. They appear to keep the government happy without caring for the safety of general students and saving higher education.
Like Dhaka University, all public universities are politically turbulent places provoked by the government backed student leaders. The whole nation is disturbed that the university students are used for crimes for suppressing freedom of thoughts.
Attack on Nur, the elected VP of DUCSU, is nothing new. Since he was elected, he came under the attack of pro-ruling party student wing for several times, even outside of Dhaka. But the DU administration had taken no initiative to protect its elected student leader.
Rather the DU authorities are seen busy to keep happy the government supported student wing, so vandalism and violence continue. Such hypocrisy from the Vice-Chancellor and others under his administration can be tolerated.
This eye wash of few arrests and police investigation is no help for maintaining calm at public universities.
Even the fame of country’s most prestigious university BUET has been tarnished evidently due to criminal activities of pro-government student front. They did not hesitate to murder one of their fellow students.
The government asks everybody to wait for the result of futile investigation because criminals do not feel threatened and the universities are under the control of students used as criminals enjoying government protection. Nobody knows when the investigation by the politicised police will be concluded.
But vandalism continues unabated and vandalism at universities must stop now.
The most unfortunate fact is that the university authorities are not impartial. Most of them are pro-government activists. Unless the university administration is cleansed of political activists of the government, our higher education is doomed in the hands of political vandals.
We want the VC and proctors of Dhaka University to resign immediately if they have any conscience. They have to take responsibility for their failure to stop dominance of violent elements.
We do not see such political violence at private universities.
Some people under the banner of ‘Muktijuddho Mancha’ attacked Dhaka University Central Students’ Union Vice-President Nurul Huq Nur and his followers at DUCSU Bhaban in DU campus on Sunday. A group of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists also took part jointly and fearlessly in the vandalism of worst kind.
About 28 persons, including Nur, have been admitted to hospitals while some of their conditions were stated to be critical. VP Nur was in fear of his life.
In the wake of widespread criticism, police on Monday arrested two leaders of so-called Muktijuddho Mancha, Al Mamun and Yasir Arafat Turjo, in connection with the attack. It is meaningless to talk about police arrest without cooperation of the Vice-Chancellor and the proctors because police were not present on the spot. Now, it is claimed that the CCTV footage are missing.
Police became apparently active after a section of DU students gave a 24-hour
ultimatum to arrest the culprits and try them. The ultimatum came from a rally under the banner of ‘Santrash Birodhi Chhatra Oikya’ at the Raju Sculpture of DU campus yesterday. Police said no case was filed with the concerned police station in connection with the incident until Monday noon.
The government earlier on many occasions threatened its student wing not to indulge in violent activities but surprisingly no restraint is seen, which is most mysterious. So it remains a mystery that despite public warnings by the prime minister, the universities are not safe from the violent attacks on the opposition minded students.
The conclusion is obvious. Either the PM does not mean what she says in public or Chhatra League leaders have gone beyond control. In both cases failure of the government is undeniable.
But university authorities cannot shift the blame on other’s shoulder for the crimes committed on the campus. The students are also not very safe in halls.
Unless they think they have no obligation to maintain peace and order for the students to carry on safely their academic pursuit then they have no reason to shamelessly cling to the jobs and earn fat salaries. They appear to keep the government happy without caring for the safety of general students and saving higher education.
Like Dhaka University, all public universities are politically turbulent places provoked by the government backed student leaders. The whole nation is disturbed that the university students are used for crimes for suppressing freedom of thoughts.
Attack on Nur, the elected VP of DUCSU, is nothing new. Since he was elected, he came under the attack of pro-ruling party student wing for several times, even outside of Dhaka. But the DU administration had taken no initiative to protect its elected student leader.
Rather the DU authorities are seen busy to keep happy the government supported student wing, so vandalism and violence continue. Such hypocrisy from the Vice-Chancellor and others under his administration can be tolerated.
This eye wash of few arrests and police investigation is no help for maintaining calm at public universities.
Even the fame of country’s most prestigious university BUET has been tarnished evidently due to criminal activities of pro-government student front. They did not hesitate to murder one of their fellow students.
The government asks everybody to wait for the result of futile investigation because criminals do not feel threatened and the universities are under the control of students used as criminals enjoying government protection. Nobody knows when the investigation by the politicised police will be concluded.
But vandalism continues unabated and vandalism at universities must stop now.
The most unfortunate fact is that the university authorities are not impartial. Most of them are pro-government activists. Unless the university administration is cleansed of political activists of the government, our higher education is doomed in the hands of political vandals.
We want the VC and proctors of Dhaka University to resign immediately if they have any conscience. They have to take responsibility for their failure to stop dominance of violent elements.
We do not see such political violence at private universities.
