Awami League can't come down hard on Chhatra League

Ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) is in a dilemma over its student front, Bangladesh Chhatra League. On one hand it is at a loss over the activities of BCL leaders, and on the other hand, it cannot come down too hard on this student organisation due to the opposition movement and the forthcoming national parliamentary election. So under the circumstances, it is trying to take immediate action against any big incident that crops up, in order to avoid criticism.

Over the 14-year stretch of Awami League rule, Chhatra League has been making headlines with its incessant criminal activities. In the recent years it has come to the limelight because of mugging, abduction for ransom, torturing the general students, tender manipulations, extortion and sexual abuse.

Even after all this, certain leaders of Awami League feel that the negative incidents of BCL are being overly highlighted. However, another section of the ruling party leaders feel that these criminal activities of Chhatra League leaders and activists are throwing the party into a crisis.

In the latest incident, just within a few days of her admission to Islamic University, a student, Fulpori Khatun, fell victim to the cruelty of a Chhatra League leader and her followers. The matter was taken up at the High Court. On 28 February, the High Court issued a ruling in the incident of Fulpori's torture, ordering the university authorities to suspend five students, including the Islamic University Chhatra League vice-president Sanjida Chowdhury, from all academic activities.

In recent times BCL has also made the headlines due to their criminal activities in Chittagong Medical College, Chittagong University, Eden Women's College, and the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

According to sources in AL and BCL, after the incident of Fulpori's torture, Awami League issued certain directives to the top leaders of Chhatra League. The directives state that inquiries must be immediately launched if any allegations arise and organisational action must be taken if the allegations prove to be true.

The directives also said the accused must not be backed in any way. If necessary, assistance can be provided for legal action. Also, careful scrutiny must be carried out in the case of new units being formed.

However, Awami League and Chhatra League leaders themselves have doubts as to how far Chhatra League will follow, or can be made to follow, these directives.

Sources in both the organisations point out that with the national elections ahead, Awami League has declared a general amnesty for leaders, who had been expelled or dropped from the party on various criminal charges.

The leaders of Jubo League, the youth wing of Awami League, and other affiliated bodies who had been involved in the casino scandals, are now also re-entering the scene. They are being rehabilitated in politics before the election. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to say how far Chhatra League can be kept in control.

Awami League had given four central leaders charge of looking after Chhatra League affairs. They are Awami League presidium members Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim and organising secretary BM Mozammel Huq. From time to time they hold meetings with Chhatra League leaders and apprise them of the party's decisions.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, AFM Bahauddin Nasim said, strict directives have been issued as to how the history and heritage of Chhatra League must be upheld. The organisation will not take responsibility for the misdeeds of any Chhatra League leaders. That is why immediate organisational and legal action is being taken upon receiving any allegation.

He also said, Chhatra League is a large organisation with many leaders. They do a lot of good work. But it is the misdeeds that are highlighted.

Many Awami League leaders feel that Chhatra League has become more uncontrolled after AL came to power in 2009 and has remained at the helm for an extended stretch. In 2019, the central president and general secretary of Chhatra League lost their posts due to extortion revolving around the tender for development work at Jahangirnagar University.

Changes were brought to the BCL leadership at the time, but the unscrupulous activities of its leaders and activities repeatedly come to the limelight.

In December last year, the new central committee was formed. Awami League leaders felt this would bring discipline to Chhatra League. But there still is no sign of any positive changes in Chhatra League, they feel.

Prothom Alo correspondents have gathered details on Chhatra League activities of 40 days, from 1 January to 9 February, in all educational institutions of the country. This reveals 25 criminal activities in 13 educational institutions. Most of these allegations include torturing general students, assaulting teachers and forcefully occupying rooms in the residential student halls.

A presidium member of Awami League, on condition of anonymity, has told Prothom Alo that when they get into the race for positions in Chhatra League, these student leaders begin dreaming of becoming billionaires. A general student cannot become a billionaire by legitimate means and so once they get a post in the organisation, they become reckless.

On condition of remaining unnamed, a former leader of Chhatra League told Prothom Alo, those in the lower ranks of Chhatra League, start flexing their muscles to get to higher positions in the organisation. They feel that if they behave recklessly, others will respect them more and it will be easier to get higher posts. And once they get the positions, they behave even more arrogantly in order to establish their control further.

Bangladesh Chhatra League was established in 1948, a year before Awami League. Ever since its inception, Chhatra League has taken a leading role in various movements for the self-determination of Bengalis right up till the liberation war of 1971. It has produced innumerable leaders. But the image of that organisation now is tarnished.

As an affiliated organisation, Chhatra League has its own constitution, but the control lies with the main party Awami League. The leaders of the ruling party feel that student politics began to sour from the 80's. But the organisation's reckless attitude increased after Awami League came to power in 2009.

There are certain reasons behind this which cannot be changed. There is no political opposition in the educational institutions that can challenge Chhatra League. Instead, they are getting embroiled in infighting and also are assaulting the general students.

The killing of Abrar Fahad, a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), on 7 October 2019, created a stir around the country. In 2012, Zubair Ahmed, a student of English department at Jahangirnagar University, was killed by opponents in an internal feud. The same year, during a blockade by the BNP-led 18 Party, tailor Biswajit Das was hacked to death by activists from a procession of Jagannath University Chhatra League near Bahadur Shah Park.

In all these incidents, organisational action was taken and legal action too. But Chhatra League's criminal activities continue unabated.

Chhatra League's present president Saddam Hossain, however, speaking to Prothom Alo, said, "We are not sparing anyone who is committing such crimes in the name of the party. There is no sympathy for those responsible for these crimes. We are taking organisational action when the allegations are proven. We are assisting the law enforcement agencies to ensure the perpetrators are punished. We will continue with this stand in future too."

Many of the Awami League leaders have said, the opposition's movement is on. In such a situation, it is difficult to carry out any sweeping cleansing drive within the organisation. Chhatra League, after all, plays an important role in facing the opposition's movement. At the same time, it is difficult for the party to bear the disrepute of Chhatra League's misdeeds before the election.

Faced with such a dilemma, Awami League leaders are apprehensive of how far it will be possible to keep Chhatra League in control.

* The report originally appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir