UNB, Dhaka :
The students of Dhaka University (DU) started demanding cancellation of the affiliate-status conferred on 7 colleges is early January.
In the beginning, the student wing of ruling party Awami League Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) supported their cause. After a while though, BCL started to oppose the movement and started attacking the students who were continuing the movement. On the other hand the left-leaning student’s organizations took to the field on behalf of the general students.
At present, a group of students under the banner of ‘Anti-harassment Students Forum’ and the leftist fronts are continuing the movement, whose demands have evolved to include the arrest and expulsion of BCL leaders and activists, withdrawal of ‘false’ cases against unnamed students, removal of the proctor and finally, resolving the crisis of the seven colleges. On the other hand, BCL alleges the general students are caught up in a conspiracy to destabilize the DU campus, and thus it falls on BCL to avert the protesters.
The aftermath of the clash has already spread to other campuses outside Dhaka like Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), and Murari Chand (MC) College in Sylhet. Observers worry that if the authorities don’t resolve the problem soon, the situation will go out of control. The peaceful environment necessary for the pursuit of higher education would be hampered and volatility could increase. Professor Emeritus of Dhaka University Serajul Islam Choudhury believes one way to do this would be to revive the Dhaka University Central student Union (Ducsu) election.
He told UNB, “Now student organizations (party fronts like BCL) have no need for students’ support. They rely on party’s patronage. If students’ central parliament and all hall parliaments’ elections are held, they will need to win general students’ support for winning the election.” On January 11, DU students started their protest demanding cancellation of affiliate status given to seven colleges. As part of the programme, they blockade the road near Raju Sculpture and boycott classes. On January 15, the protesters demonstrated and laid siege to the Vice-Chancellor’s office, in line with their declared programme. It was also the day that BCL DU Unit leaders and activists physically attacked them and harassed some female protesters.
Just two days later, on January 17, protesters under ‘Anti-harassment Students Forum’ broke down the collapsible gate of the proctor’s office after finding it locked, and confined Proctor Golam Rabbani in his office more than four hours. The incident prompted the DU administration to file a case against 50-60 unnamed persons with Shahbag police station, on charges of vandalizing proctor’s office and damaging university property. On January 23, protesters this time confined the VC for more than four hours in his office as their pre-declared programm. At one stage, more than 30 leaders and activists of BCL led by its central General Secretary SM Zakir Hossain attacked the protesters and ‘rescued’ the VC, in the process leaving scores of protesters injured. Centering this incident Pragatisheel Chhatra Jot, an alliance of left-leaning student organisations, declared several programmes. Not to be outdone, BCL did the same.
The PCJ already staged a solidarity rally on January 26, demonstrations across the country on Jan 28, and a strike at all educational institutions on Jan 29. During the strike on Monday, at least eight students were injured in alleged attacks by BCL men on the leaders and activists of Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote on the campuses of Rajshahi University and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST).
Toufiq Mubin, a second year student mass communication and journalism department told UNB, “The movement was originally started by general students. Though BCL men supported the movement at beginning, but after some days they withdrew their support and took a position against students. Later left leaning students organizations come forward to support the students and took the lead in the movement.”
Tuhin Kanti Das, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Union of DU unit, said “We are supporting the general student’s movement as their demands are logical. But University administration doesn’t give any importance to students’ demand. They are not even trying to communicate with us.”
University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr. Akhtaruzzaman told UNB, “Students have the right to press their demand. But they would have to bear in mind that the university is running in a systematic process. University authority cannot just do anything they want.” Mentioning the recent incident he said, “We formed two probe bodies for investigating actually what happened on that day. After publishing the report we will take steps against the culprits.”
The students of Dhaka University (DU) started demanding cancellation of the affiliate-status conferred on 7 colleges is early January.
In the beginning, the student wing of ruling party Awami League Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) supported their cause. After a while though, BCL started to oppose the movement and started attacking the students who were continuing the movement. On the other hand the left-leaning student’s organizations took to the field on behalf of the general students.
At present, a group of students under the banner of ‘Anti-harassment Students Forum’ and the leftist fronts are continuing the movement, whose demands have evolved to include the arrest and expulsion of BCL leaders and activists, withdrawal of ‘false’ cases against unnamed students, removal of the proctor and finally, resolving the crisis of the seven colleges. On the other hand, BCL alleges the general students are caught up in a conspiracy to destabilize the DU campus, and thus it falls on BCL to avert the protesters.
The aftermath of the clash has already spread to other campuses outside Dhaka like Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), and Murari Chand (MC) College in Sylhet. Observers worry that if the authorities don’t resolve the problem soon, the situation will go out of control. The peaceful environment necessary for the pursuit of higher education would be hampered and volatility could increase. Professor Emeritus of Dhaka University Serajul Islam Choudhury believes one way to do this would be to revive the Dhaka University Central student Union (Ducsu) election.
He told UNB, “Now student organizations (party fronts like BCL) have no need for students’ support. They rely on party’s patronage. If students’ central parliament and all hall parliaments’ elections are held, they will need to win general students’ support for winning the election.” On January 11, DU students started their protest demanding cancellation of affiliate status given to seven colleges. As part of the programme, they blockade the road near Raju Sculpture and boycott classes. On January 15, the protesters demonstrated and laid siege to the Vice-Chancellor’s office, in line with their declared programme. It was also the day that BCL DU Unit leaders and activists physically attacked them and harassed some female protesters.
Just two days later, on January 17, protesters under ‘Anti-harassment Students Forum’ broke down the collapsible gate of the proctor’s office after finding it locked, and confined Proctor Golam Rabbani in his office more than four hours. The incident prompted the DU administration to file a case against 50-60 unnamed persons with Shahbag police station, on charges of vandalizing proctor’s office and damaging university property. On January 23, protesters this time confined the VC for more than four hours in his office as their pre-declared programm. At one stage, more than 30 leaders and activists of BCL led by its central General Secretary SM Zakir Hossain attacked the protesters and ‘rescued’ the VC, in the process leaving scores of protesters injured. Centering this incident Pragatisheel Chhatra Jot, an alliance of left-leaning student organisations, declared several programmes. Not to be outdone, BCL did the same.
The PCJ already staged a solidarity rally on January 26, demonstrations across the country on Jan 28, and a strike at all educational institutions on Jan 29. During the strike on Monday, at least eight students were injured in alleged attacks by BCL men on the leaders and activists of Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote on the campuses of Rajshahi University and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST).
Toufiq Mubin, a second year student mass communication and journalism department told UNB, “The movement was originally started by general students. Though BCL men supported the movement at beginning, but after some days they withdrew their support and took a position against students. Later left leaning students organizations come forward to support the students and took the lead in the movement.”
Tuhin Kanti Das, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Union of DU unit, said “We are supporting the general student’s movement as their demands are logical. But University administration doesn’t give any importance to students’ demand. They are not even trying to communicate with us.”
University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr. Akhtaruzzaman told UNB, “Students have the right to press their demand. But they would have to bear in mind that the university is running in a systematic process. University authority cannot just do anything they want.” Mentioning the recent incident he said, “We formed two probe bodies for investigating actually what happened on that day. After publishing the report we will take steps against the culprits.”
