Exit of ACC chief and thuggish student activists of the ruling party in Bangladesh

In less than 24 hours of the clash in Jahangir Nagar University amongst the leaders and activists of the ruling party, there is news from Dhaka of another fresh clash between the leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), a student front of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League, which took place at Jagannath University College in Dhaka.

According to report, At least 12 leaders and workers of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) were injured today in clashes between two rival groups of the organisation of the Jagannath University over disbursing of the extortion money collected from the admission seekers.

The clashes erupted at around 12:00pm and continued for over an hour.

The clashers took part in the violence equipped with bamboo and hockey sticks causing a severe panic among the general students.

Following series of clashes and violences by the pro government student's wing in various campuses in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Saturday) withdrew herself from the leadership of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).

Hasina, also the organisational chief of the student wing of the Awami League, took the decision after being frustrated following the recent activities of the BCL.

Meanwhile, Dhaka's leading English newspaper The Daily Star in a report said, leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League have received a few crore taka brokering illegal admission of freshmen to government colleges in the capital.

It said, they obtained the money mainly from students on the waiting lists and the ones who failed to qualify in the freshmen admission tests.

“The admission tests for the first-year honours programmes of colleges started early last month and will end within a few days.

“According to Chhatra League leaders directly involved in this, known as "political admission", at different government colleges, they are taking Tk 20,000 to Tk 1 lakh for each admission as carrots depending on the faculty and the college's reputation. Dhaka College and Eden College top the list of institutions where political admissions are going on.

“Chhatra League leaders carry out such illegal admission business with the connivance of a section of teachers, officials and employees of the colleges, sources in the institutions say.

“If any college official refuses to comply with Chhatra League leaders' instructions, they are threatened with transfers, according to college sources.

They said Chhatra League leaders, student wing of the ruling Awami League (AL), of Dhaka College unit persuaded the college authorities to take at least 400 "poorly qualified" freshmen in.

“The same thing is going on in many government colleges in the capital as well as in different districts of the country.

“Eden College, Govt Kabi Nazrul College, Govt Bangla College in Mirpur, Govt Titumir College, Badrunnesa College, Teachers' Training College and Govt Shaheed Suhrawardy College are all in the grip of Chhatra League leaders, sources said.

“During the last BNP-Jamaat alliance rule, leaders of their student wing--Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir--were also involved in similar practices.

“In Dhaka College, Chhatra League leaders halted the admission process a few weeks ago as the college authorities started admission independent of the Chhatra League leaders' so-called business. The college authorities had to negotiate with the student leaders and reach a consensus to restart admission process, sources said.

“A couple of weeks ago, Eden College unit Chhatra League leaders had kept their principal confined to the college office for about three hours to force the authorities take in 50 students on the waiting list under "political admission".

Sources said students who failed to qualify in the freshmen admission test or are way down the waiting list can easily get enrolled in colleges paying the Chhatra League leaders.

“Moreover, students who qualified for a department but want to move to a better one can also pay the leaders and move up the list.

“Talking to The Daily Star a number of Chhatra League leaders said they are engaged in this to oblige senior leaders and influential persons, including members of parliament, with their requests.

"We are political workers and we have to carry out their requests," said a Dhaka College unit Chhatra League leader preferring not to be named. He, however, did not answer when asked if the senior leaders asked them to take money from the admission seekers.

“In Dhaka, Kabi Nazrul and Eden colleges, the top two Chhatra League posts holders are doing this "business of political admission" while a general secretary and a president of Chhatra League units of Shaheed Suhrawardi College and Badrunnesa College are also doing.”

This is just a short description of how the pro-ruling party students are becoming increasingly aggressive in a number of crimes including corruption and terrorism.

Now, let me turn to another topic. Few days back, chairman of Anti Corruption Commission and former chief of army, Lt. Gen. Hassan Mashhud Chowdhury resigned from his post. Although General Chowdhury showed the reason behind his resignation as 'personal' it is highly rumored in Dhaka that, he was under tremendous pressure from the ruling party for extending this sudden resignation.

Gen. Hassan Mashhud Chowdhury is known to be one of the most excellent, brilliant and honest officers in Bangladesh, who dedicated zeal and expertise in combating corruption. But, possibly he failed to realize one fact that, fighting corruption in a country like Bangladesh, where most of the people are corrupts, it a mission impossible.

Anti army politicians are already expressing joys at the resignation of Gen. Chowdhury. State minister for law affairs in an immediate reaction right after the resignation said, his resignation was a great relief.

BNP leader and former minister Mirza Abbas said, “Hassan Mashhud Chowdhury will be accountable both in the world and the life after”.

Most of the politicians, whose names came as corrupts are seen extremely delighted at the departure of the ACC chairman.

It is further learnt that, anti-army politician Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir is preparing to harrass General Chowdhury in the Parliamentary Committee, which sent a letter to the former army chief to appear in person for responding to a number of questions.

Mr. Khan has been demanding stern action against the army officers and giving them a 'good lesson' for their role during the interim government, when a large number of politicians were arrested on corruption charges.

Some of the ruling party leaders are also alleging Gen. Chowdhury for his connivance in placing politicians on remand thus being questioned and reportedly tortuted by the members of the armed forces and DGFI. It is even believed by many in Dhaka that, angru politicians were behind the February's massacre inside the BDR headquarters. Now, they might have picked another person, a former chief of the armed forces, to humiliate, thus indirectly putting the entire army into humiliation.