Student organisations on Thursday demanded banning Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) as a terrorist group.
Top leaders of student organisations told the Daily Observer, BCL never stood by common students; rather its leaders and activists were involved in atrocities, raping, looting, extortion, and tender manipulation.
They, however, observed that the BCL has already been unofficially banned as people from all walks of life boycotted its leaders and activists socially, academically and politically across the country, particularly in the wake of the fascist Sheikh Hasina regime.
Nuzia Hasin Rasha, President of Dhaka University (DU) unit of Revolutionary Student Unity, said, "During the past 15 years of fascist Awami regime, due to their direct involvement in terrorism, torture, grabbing and killing of hundreds of ordinary citizens during the July uprising, we demand that the BCL be banned as a terrorist organisation."
"Our generation has never recognised the BCL as a student organisation. We consider it as a terrorist group. Students were attacked by BCL leaders and activists during the movement to achieve reasonable demands," said Khayrul Ahsan Marzan, Public University Affairs Secretary of the central unit of Islami Chhatra Andolon Bangladesh.
Marzan added, "As a result, students fear and hate the brutality of the BCL. We have consistently called for banning this terrorist organisation for the atrocities, raping, looting, extortion, and tender manipulation resorted by this anti-people organisation."
"BCL politics became outdated after the 2024 revolution. The successful mass uprising occurred through a social contract among people from all levels of the country. The essence of this contract was to remove the treasonous authoritarian forces and their accomplices. In this context, due to their own actions, the BCL has lost the legitimacy to carry out its one-sided, destructive, and violent politics in Bangladesh," said Md Abu Shadik Kayem, DU branch President of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Shadik said, "Although the administration and government's formal notification regarding their politics in universities is a formality, we expect that the university administration will quickly take disciplinary and, where applicable, legal action against those associated with the BCL who committed crimes in the past."
Demanding trial of the BCL leaders and activists through fair investigation, DU unit President of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) Ganesh Chandra Roy said, "The BCL leaders and activists who were involved in various offenses against democracy and human rights must be tried through a fair process."
"The reign of terror and fascism that the BCL established on campuses across the country seems unlikely to recur in near future. In that case, when the student organisations present a framework against fascism in student politics, I believe there will no longer be any opportunity for the BCL to revive its political activities as a fascist organisation," he added.
Echoing, Bangladesh Students' Union President Rageeb Nayeem said, "Firstly, all the offenses committed by BCL leaders and activists must be punished. Secondly, they bear individual and collective responsibility for the fascist, terrorist, and authoritarian activities in past 15 years. They must also be brought to justice as collaborators of authoritarianism."
JCD central General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir said, "The BCL was the key weapon of the fascist Awami League that stood against common students and citizens during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in July and early August. BCL terrorists opened fire indiscriminately, killing thousands of people at that time. All the martyrs were not killed by police. Even children were not spared from the atrocities of BCL and Juba League."
Nasir said the BCL has lost the opportunity to revive its anti-national activities. No freedom-loving people will accept BCL, he said.
"After killing thousands of people, I think BCL lost its right to return to campuses," Nasir said.
