Student politics of Bangladesh

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The Student politics of Bangladesh encompasses the activities and culture among Bangladeshi students, mostly from the tertiary level of education, as part of the support they demonstrate for political parties at the national level.

Contents

Major student organizations

Current situation

Student politics in Bangladesh is reactive, confrontational, and violent. Student organizations act as armaments of the political parties they are part of. [1] So every now and then there are affrays and commotions. [2] Over the years, political clashes and factional feuds in universities killed many, seriously interfering with academics. [3] Women harassment is also a major problem of student politics. To relieve tensions, universities often must resort to lengthy closures, resulting in truncated and overcrowded classes.

The student wings of ruling parties run campuses and residence halls through crime and violence. They control access to amenities in residence halls, favoring fellow party members and loyal pupils; eat for free from nearby restaurants, and help themselves to products from shops nearby; practice extortion; and take money from freshmen. Further, they put pressure on teachers for payment in exchange for supporting to school administration their hiring and retention. [4] [5]

Abrar Fahad, a second year student in the electrical and electronic engineering department, was tortured and killed by Chhatra League leaders in Sher-e-Bangla Hall in 2019.

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The Bangladesh Chhatra League, formerly East Pakistan Student League, often simply called the Chhatra League, is a students' political organisation in Bangladesh, founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948. BSL is the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League. It's played important role in the Bangladesh War of Independence but after 1972 it split into two factions on the basis of alliance to Shekh Mujibur Rahman. But later it has been repeatedly accused of using torture, extortion, violence, forced prostitution, and killings to instill fear. At least 33 people were killed and 1,500 got seriously injured from attacks by BSL between 2009 and 2014. Number of fatalities rose to 129 between 2014 and 2018 while 31 people were killed in 2018 alone.

References

  1. Kalam, Hadi (16 February 2014). "Political Violence Of Chatra League: A Chronology" . Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  2. "Frequent violence plagues campus atmosphere" . Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  3. "Rangpur Medical College shut down indefinitely after BCL clash leaves 10 injured". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  4. "Political Parties and Political Violence". Refworld. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada. 1 May 1994. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  5. "Academic activities resume in IU". Prothom Alo. 27 June 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.