Rethinking student politics in universities
Most of the accused in the murder of BUET student Abrar Fahad have been arrested. If the law takes its own course, all of them will be arrested and brought to book. But it can not be certain that the law will take its own course and the murderers will be punished.
According to a Prothom Alo report published on Wednesday, in last the ten years, 15 students including eight of Chattogram University, four of Rajshahi University and one of Sylhet Shahjalal University, Leading University and Sylhet International University each have been murdered. But none of the murders have seen the light of justice.
Demonstrations protesting the Abrar murder continue in educational institutions. It is not difficult to perceive the mental condition of the BUET students who sharply reacted over the murder of their fellow student Abrar. Many classmates of Abrar burst into tears while speaking during the demonstrations. But it is a big question whether their grief will bring any change. Ministers and leaders are locked in meaningless debate. One group claims only a few people were killed during their rule and criticises the opponent group. They have a shoulder shirk all responsibility. Their attitude implies support for the activities going on in the educational institutions in the name of student politics.
BUET students are continuing demonstrations their 10-point demand including justice for the Abrar murder. The murderers must be tried in order to establish the rule of law. The violence and lack of security at the educational institutions, as pointed out by the students, are devastating. The general students are aggrieved for unleashing violence at the residential halls, threatening the junior students, forcing them to join political rallies and meetings. The student wings of different political parties are misusing power and carrying out heinous activities.
During the BNP rule in 2002, a student named Sabikun Nahar alias Sani was killed in the gun fight between two groups of Jatiatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of BNP. During the current rule of Awami League, their student front Chhatra League leaders beat Abrar to death. Under such circumstances, the students demand a ban on all political and organisational activities of BUET by 15 October. Such demand cannot be called illogical. BUET teachers have also taken to the streets protesting Abrar’s murder. BUET Teachers Association on Wednesday demanded the resignation of VC and the ban on student politics.
Sstudent politics, which has an affiliation with political parties and beats a student to death for expressing different views, cannot continue. It has now become essential to ban student politics in all specialised universities, as demanded by the students and teachers.
After independence of the country, Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi and Jahangirnagar universities were brought under autonomy through an order in 1973. But Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) is still being run by the ordinance of 1961. Bangladesh Agriculture University is being run by its own laws. The government took such a decision as these two universities are specialised ones. It is imperative to stop student politics in all specialised universities and medical colleges. We hope a quick decision will be taken in this regard.