Lift ban on student politics on BUET campus immediately: BCL

Ruling party student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League has demanded immediate resumption of student politics on Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) campus.

The BCL leaders made the demand at a protest rally in the city's Central Shaheed Minar on Sunday afternoon.

BCL organised the rally demanding 'resumption of student politics by freeing BUET from the dark shadow of the fundamentalist force and protesting against anti-constitutional, fundamental rights and education decisions by the BUET authorities.'

BCL president Saddam Hossain said, "We are issuing an ultimatum that BUET authorities must hold a student union election. Imtiaz Bappi (the student whose seat allotment was cancelled) should be welcomed to his residential hall."

Students of BUET have been demonstrating since Friday after the BCL president entered the campus on Wednesday midnight. The demonstrators boycotted the examination and placed a five-point demand since the incident.

The demonstrators said student politics has been banned on BUET campus since the brutal killing of Abrar Fahad by some BCL leaders-activists in 2019. Yet, some BCL leaders entered BUET campus on Wednesday night.

Addressing the protest rally, Saddam Hossain said he went to BUET Shaheed Minar premises to meet a friend. As rain started, he had to move to the cafeteria. The BCL president also asked if anyone needs a visa-passport to enter the BUET premises.

Saddam said the death of Abrar Fahad bleed the heart of BCL men, but organisations like Hizbut Tahrir, JMB and Chhatra Shibir cannot be the force behind banning student politics on the BUET campus.

BCL secretary Sheikh Wali Asif conducted the rally. He said the decision as to whether the BUET students would do politics or not cannot be left to any evil force.

Imtiaz Rabbi, whose seat allotment in the residential hall has been cancelled in the wake of student movement, also spoke at the rally.

Earlier, BCL leaders and activists with processions from different residential halls and city units started gathering at Shaheed Minar.

They were arriving at the Shaheed Minar chanting different slogans including 'crush the den of fundamentalists', 'crush the den of Shibir‘, and so on.

BCL Dhaka University unit president Mazharul Kabir, secretary Tanvir Hasan, Dhaka north unit president Riaz Mahmud, secretary Sagar Ahmed, Dhaka south unit president Rajibul Islam and secretary Sajal Kundu, among others, spoke at the rally.

After the rally, BCL leaders-activists led by Saddam Hossain entered BUET campus and placed a wreath at the mural of father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at BUET Shaheed Minar.

Witnesses said a huge number of BCL men entered the campus at around 2:30pm.