ELIYAS Numan, a Swechchhasebak League leader, was hacked and beaten unconscious by a group of Jubo League men in Mymensingh’s Gafargaon on September 2. When the 28-year-old man regained consciousness after two days, he found his left hand amputated and bandages from the waist down. The brutal attack has left him in trauma.
Lying in a bed at the capital’s National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), Numan, a supplier of construction materials, said his only fault was he had tried to help some villagers of Khodaboxpur get electricity connections. Numan, an executive member of Mymensingh district Swechchhasebak League, further said some villagers of Khodaboxpur gave Tk 1.8 lakh to a local Jubo League leader and his men for 30 electricity connections a year ago. But they failed to arrange power connections from local Palli Bidyut office.
Palli Bidyut officials, along with local policemen, went to the village on September 2 morning to give electricity connections. Around 5:30pm on that day, a group of armed men, led allegedly by Rezaul Karim Sumon, President of Jubo League Joshora union unit, attacked him when he was returning home from Bhaluka upazila by his motorbike. Numan said among the attackers, he could identify Sumon, Rakib, Akib, Wahid, Faisal, Mahfuz, Olad, Mustakin and Sarwar Jahan Dhanu.
There is little we can expect from an organisation whose 301 member central committee consists of a few married people, non-students, extortionists, expelled Chhatra League men, drug dealers, and addicts, and former leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir. This is an organisation whose President and General Secretary has had their unrestricted access to the PM suspended.
We have known for a long time that the Chhatra League in its present incarnation represents a motley collection of goons and hooligans– a far cry from its golden pre-independence days when it was composed of idealistic charismatic individuals who strove hard for independence. But the ideals of the past have been ground to dust–what remains is the greed of their top leaders for power and money, at any cost.
But hunger for money and power will weaken and not strengthen the image and power of the organisation. Unless these nefarious elements are removed we can only expect to see much more of these incidents in the future. Meanwhile the police can play their part in arresting the accused, which they have been unwilling to do. They must boldly step up and uphold the law and not fear any political connections. The local Jubo League committee, instead of expelling the members, is unfortunately adopting a ‘wait and see approach’ — hardly conducive for maintaining party discipline.
Lying in a bed at the capital’s National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), Numan, a supplier of construction materials, said his only fault was he had tried to help some villagers of Khodaboxpur get electricity connections. Numan, an executive member of Mymensingh district Swechchhasebak League, further said some villagers of Khodaboxpur gave Tk 1.8 lakh to a local Jubo League leader and his men for 30 electricity connections a year ago. But they failed to arrange power connections from local Palli Bidyut office.
Palli Bidyut officials, along with local policemen, went to the village on September 2 morning to give electricity connections. Around 5:30pm on that day, a group of armed men, led allegedly by Rezaul Karim Sumon, President of Jubo League Joshora union unit, attacked him when he was returning home from Bhaluka upazila by his motorbike. Numan said among the attackers, he could identify Sumon, Rakib, Akib, Wahid, Faisal, Mahfuz, Olad, Mustakin and Sarwar Jahan Dhanu.
There is little we can expect from an organisation whose 301 member central committee consists of a few married people, non-students, extortionists, expelled Chhatra League men, drug dealers, and addicts, and former leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir. This is an organisation whose President and General Secretary has had their unrestricted access to the PM suspended.
We have known for a long time that the Chhatra League in its present incarnation represents a motley collection of goons and hooligans– a far cry from its golden pre-independence days when it was composed of idealistic charismatic individuals who strove hard for independence. But the ideals of the past have been ground to dust–what remains is the greed of their top leaders for power and money, at any cost.
But hunger for money and power will weaken and not strengthen the image and power of the organisation. Unless these nefarious elements are removed we can only expect to see much more of these incidents in the future. Meanwhile the police can play their part in arresting the accused, which they have been unwilling to do. They must boldly step up and uphold the law and not fear any political connections. The local Jubo League committee, instead of expelling the members, is unfortunately adopting a ‘wait and see approach’ — hardly conducive for maintaining party discipline.
