‘Deprived’ BCL men issue 48-hour ultimatum

A faction of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), student wing of ruling Bangladesh Awami League on Tuesday demanded scrapping the newly-formed committee within 48 hours, reports news agency UNB.

They also sought punishment of those who attacked them on Monday. The BCL faction threatened to start a hunger strike if their demands are not met.

The activists, who were not included in the new committee, made the announcements at a media conference at Modhur Canteen on the Dhaka University campus around 1:30pm.

“We’re rejecting this committee,” said BCL's former publication secretary Saif Babu.

He demanded punishment of the attackers and threatened to resign from the student body if the demands went unheeded.

Nipo Tonne, former deputy cultural affairs secretary of the previous committee, alleged that non-students, drug dealers and criminals got posts in the new committee of Chhatra League.

The BCL leaders brought out a procession on the campus after the press conference.

Earlier on Monday, at least seven people were injured during the clash at Madhur Canteen. Witnesses said the melee took place when a number of BCL activists, who did not get any post in the new committee, held a press conference in the canteen.