Ruling party’s unruly student wing

Since the installation of an elected government in Dhaka under the leadership of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina Wajed as the Prime Minister, members of student's wing of the ruling party are continuing to flex muscles thus turning country's most of the educational institutions into terror field.

Just last week, members of the student's wing of the ruling party, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) staged extreme notoriety at Dhaka Medical College, where the general secretary of the BCL-Medical College unit was murdered. It was reported in Bangladeshi press that the feud began over sharing of money collected through extortion by the members of the unit. According to Bangladeshi law, extortion is a serious offense, which falls under Speedy Trial procedures. But, so far, no such extortion case was ever lodged by the members of the law enforcing agencies for reason understandable.

Sheikh Hasina Wajed categorically said that, members of law enforcement agencies in the country are required to remain loyal to the ruling party. And, since the installation of her government, police is rather silently witnessing all forms of notoriety by her party members and pro-ruling party thugs.

Rejecting the notorious actions by her own party men, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, it was an act of some 'newcomers in the party'.

According to latest information on the campus violence, minimum 10 people were injured as two groups of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) of Jahangirnagar University (JU) clashed Friday (April 3, 2009) morning over establishing dominance on the campus.

Seven of the injured were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in critical condition.

Police and witnesses said the students of the Zihan group, who were recently ousted from the Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall following the bloody BCL factional clash on March 10, attacked the students of another BCL faction in the hall after midnight with lethal weapons including rods, sticks and machetes, leaving 10 people wounded.

They also vandalized different rooms of the dormitory and at one stage were forced to flee the scene in the face of resistance by their rival faction and general students.

Meanwhile, police raided the Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall this morning and arrested five people. They also seized two sharp weapons from the dormitory.

After taking control over the hall, police broke the lock of its main entrance and rescued a critically injured young outsider who got trapped inside the hall.

On information, senior teachers of the university including Proctor Arzu Miah rushed to the Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall.

Educationists in Dhaka commenting on the situation said, ineffective leadership of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) has made its leaders and workers 'unruly and uncontrolled' which caused several violent clashes in the country's higher educational institutions since Awami League-led government came to power.

They said, leaders and activists of the organisation, divided into several factions at different educational institutions, are involving in clashes one after another over establishing supremacy on the campuses. The parent party's chain of command prevails virtually inactive as BCL president and general secretary allegedly have failed to take any effective measure to stop the factional clashes.

The Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) high command might soon dissolve the central committee of its associate body Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) in the wake of recent series of violence at several educational institutions across the country. The ruling party high-ups are extremely embarrassed with the recent BCL activities and the move may come in next several months.

Over 20 incidents of violent activities, including gun battle among BCL factions in Jahangirnagar University, took place in Dhaka University, Jagannath University, Chittagong University, Rajshahi University, different medical colleges and other public colleges.

The authorities could, however, take no significant action so far against persons responsible for those activities, as the Prime Minister and her cabinet members continue to show sympathy towards the members of their student's wing.

Student's wings belonging to most of the political parties in Bangladesh are having the bad reputation of being violent and unruly. There are series of allegations against many of the student leaders of cashing millions of Taka and building fortune by using their positions of being members of the student's fronts.

Recently, during the bloody massacre inside Bangladesh Riffles headquarters, substantial volume of arms, ammunitions and explosives went into the possessions of the student and youth wings of the ruling party. This was disclosed by detained Bangladesh Awami League leader Torab Ali Akhand. If the statement is true, then surely country's law and order as well as security situation stands at the worst ever alarming level since independence in 1971.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed and her government visibly failed to control their own student's wing and youth wing leaders and supporters. Rather they are silently spectating the total lawlessness created by their own people in educational institutions and elsewhere. Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh are also complaining of foreced extortion by the members of the ruling Grand Alliance. They even fear, if such situation will continue, country's economy will face severe consequences, while the export industries are already suffering from serious challenges due to global economic recession.

Sheikh Hasina Wajed once again ruled the country during 1996-2001, when the law and order situation was not in such worst situation as present days. But, this time, when she promised to the nation of 'changing the time' with her Vision 2021 of establishing a prosperous and digital Bangladesh, the degree of anarchy and terror, which has already been exhibited to the people of the country, surely puts her five-year long journey into extreme jeopardy. Many forecasters are even seing a sudden pause in the democratic journey of the nation as the leaders are failing to show anything good or positive.

Under the present scenerio, people of Bangladesh are gradually getting annoyed and uncomfortable with the present rulers. They even may opt of seeing a real change by removing the dreamers of changing time.

Meanwhile, the government is actively trying to kill the investigation process into the BDR massacre case. Many of the top brasses in the government are even terrified in letting the investigation continue in a neutral manner. The delay in investigation is making members of country's armed forces extremely angry and agitated. It is also rumored that the students wing of the ruling party are continuing the violence at the secret signals from party high command to divert the attention of the people and media from the BDR massacre issue.