Sarjis against mass arrest as many ‘post holders’ of BCL joined student movement

Former coordinator of Students Against Discrimination and general secretary of July Shaheed Smriti Foundation Sarjis Alam is against mass arrest of banned Bangladesh Chhatra League’s post holders from Dhaka University unit and its residential halls.

He said many had to join BCL out of compulsion. Many of them were in the movement of Students Against Discrimination.

In a long post on his Facebook page, Sarjis said this on Monday night.

He also clarified that this statement is applicable to Dhaka University only. He has no detailed idea about other universities.

That is why he requested all not to use this statement in cases of other educational institutions.

Sarjis Alam, a student of the zoology department at Dhaka University, was involved with the BCL once. He was elected a member of Amar Ekushey Hall sangsad of Dhaka University in the DUCSU and Hall Sangsad election in March 2019.

The interim government banned the BCL on 23 October. Two cases have been filed in connection with the attack on general students on the DU campus on 15 July. Several BCL leaders of DU unit and hall units have been accused in the cases. Sarjis made the comment in this context.

Sarjis wrote, “I want to express dissent on one thing. This is only about Dhaka University. Students from the dormitories of Dhaka University joined the movement spontaneously before 1 July and from 1-15 July. The students of halls continued the movement until 15 (July). Those who have an idea about Dhaka University know it very well that one had to do the politics of Chhatra League to stay at the dormitories. They had to join their programmes, guest rooms and stay at gono rooms. That is why those who used to stay at halls had to do those things out of compulsion.”

In his status, Sarjis further said nearly 80 per cent of the post holders used to remain in committees for reasons like getting a seat in the dormitory, for the opportunity to stay at the hall until getting a job or to save oneself from being tagged or being a victim of an injustice. Many of the remaining 20 per cent of the students used to abuse power, he added.