Protest at Eden College at night demanding student politics-free campus

Students of Eden Mohila College staged a protest last night, Saturday, demanding a ban on student politics on campus. During the demonstration, they broke the lock on the college’s main gate and attempted to tear down and set fire to a banner put up by an aspiring leader of the college unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

At around 11:00 pm, students broke the lock of the college’s main gate and came outside. They were heard chanting slogans such as, “There will be no place for student politics in Eden.”

Earlier in the evening, allegations emerged that the phrase “politics-free campus,” written on the Eden College gate, had been erased with paint.

Following the incident, a group of students began protesting.

It was learned that around 11:00 pm, students from the Hazrat Rabeya Basri dormitory, along with other students of the college, started the demonstration. Initially, they gathered in front of the main gate and chanted various slogans. At one stage, the protesters attempted to break the locks of several campus gates and succeeded in breaking the lock of the main gate.

After coming out of the college, they attempted to set fire to a nearby banner. The banner showed greetings from aspiring Eden Mohila College Chhatra Dal president candidate Taiyeba Twaha to several members of parliament from reserved seats in the national parliament. A group of students failed in their attempt to set the banner on fire.

Later, the protesting students wrote the phrase “Completely Politics-Free Eden Campus” in black paint on the college’s main gate.

Students who participated in the protest demanded an end to all forms of political influence and partisan activities on campus. They alleged that political interference in educational institutions was disrupting the normal academic environment. For this reason, they called for ensuring a “politics-free campus.”

In a Facebook post regarding the protest at Eden College, Nasir Uddin, central general secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, wrote that the opportunity to participate in student politics, conduct political activities on campus, and express political opinions freely are fundamental rights of a student.

“Earlier, we saw the gupto (clandestine) organisation Shibir mobilise members of its secret wings to create mobs aimed at shutting down student politics on various campuses. Those who led these mobs later emerged as top leaders of the gupto organisation. Through its covert politics, Shibir has made student politics foul-smelling.”