Will resist anti-Modi protesters: DU BCL president

BCL logo

Bangladesh Chhatra League’s (BCL) Dhaka university unit president Sanjit Chandra Das on Thursday said the student organisation would resist anti-Modi protests on the campus, reports news agency UNB.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on 26 March to join celebrations marking the golden jubilee of independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Chhatra League is the student wing of ruling Bangladesh Awami League.

Sanjit said a vested quarter is conspiring even as world leaders join Bangladesh to celebrate the country’s 50 years of independence.

“We’ll deal with whoever comes to protest at Raju sculpture (on the campus) tomorrow,” he said at a BCL rally at Raju memorial sculpture to protest against the attack on Hindus in Naogram village of Sunamganj’s Salla upazila.

Earlier in the day, left-leaning student organisations arranged a press conference in front of the university’s Madhur Canteen protesting against Modi’s visit to Bangladesh. They announced to bring out a procession and hold a rally at the base of Raju sculpture on Friday. They also announced a torchlight procession on the evening of 25 March.

At the press conference, Bangladesh Students’ Union chief Foez Ullah read out a prepared statement in presence of the leaders and activists from nine progressive student organisations.

In the statement, the protesters said that the Awami League was celebrating the golden jubilee of independence without ensuring people’s participation. They said that intellectuals and political parties are protesting against Modi’s participation.

In the statement, the protesters noted that border killings have not gone down and Bangladesh has not yet received its fair share of Teesta water while its rivers, ports, the Sundarbans are all victims of Indian aggression.

At the BCL rally, Sanjit said the student front will not allow the leftists to arrange a rally on the campus and threatened to “peel off your skin”.

He said the leftist organisations were “becoming the agents of (Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s student front Islami Chhatra) Shibir” and told the BCL activists to remain alert to foil any conspiracy.

Sanjit also criticised the leftist organisations for not protesting against the attack on Hindus.

BCL’s DU unit general secretary Saddam Hossain said communal forces are trying to tarnish the country's image when it is celebrating the golden jubilee of independence.

He said members of BCL and the general students would resist anyone trying to interrupt the golden jubilee celebrations.