DEATH of a student and injury of five others in gunfight between two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student front of Bangladesh Awami League in Comilla University campus on Monday led to the closure of the varsity for an indefinite period of time. The bloody incident, not unusual within the student front of the ruling party has however come as a new shock to the students of Comilla University and all universities as many fear it may lead to more clashes in the campus endangering students’ life and disrupting their academic calendar.
The killing of Khaled Saifullah (24), a student of Marketing Department and Organising Secretary of Kabi Nazrul Hall unit of BCL of the varsity is part of volatile criminal politics now destroying our academic institutions. There is no denying of the fact that when Awami League can’t control its own leaders and cadre as they fight for power, it is obvious its student wing and its various factions to inherit the culture of winning power through all sorts of violence including gunfights. Awami League must equally bear the responsibility for the chaos in campuses and the killing. Because various factions are vying for unbridled power that they believe open their gate to unbridled access to unaccounted wealth and control on local business and resources.
Our student politics has become not only dirty, it is equally criminal and vindictive that makes no sense even to kill fellow party men infights for power and influence within the party apparatus. There is no visible rival student organization now to contest. Student bodies belonged to Jamaat and others are now blamed for militant activities. But BCL cadres are fighting themselves. At least 55 leaders and workers of the organization were killed in factional fighting in last seven and half years since Awami League came to power. During this time more than 50 educational institutes were also temporarily closed. Student politics of the ruling party is now also widely blamed for abductions, extortion, snatching of tenders, admission business and what not.
But student politics was not so dirty in the past. It has its glorious past as well when student leaders made great national leaders and led the nation to fight for the liberation war. They were not thieves or killers but symbolized the best ideals how to make the best career and build the nation. The trigger happy student politics has destroyed the past glory and tradition and our students are killing themselves now regularly spreading panic throughout the nation. They are rapists instead of working for an ideal that could make everyone great. Please stop this politics of killing to keep the campuses safe place for studies. Live and let live others.
