Student politics, not for now

One year after the July mass uprising, the issue of student politics at the educational institutions, public universities to be precise, has re-emerged in public discourse. Many argue that political activities by students joining so-called student wings of the mainstream political parties should not be allowed in public universities anymore. Again, some say that if there is a wholesale ban on student politics at universities, covert activities of the various student organisations would surge, making the situation worse.

The students of Dhaka University (DU) erupted into protest last week after Jatiatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student organisation affiliated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), announced its committees in 18 halls of the university on Friday morning. Following the protest, DU vice-chancellor reaffirmed that the decision taken on July 17 last year to keep residential halls free from student politics remains in effect. On July 17, 2024, during the anti-discrimination movement, students forced the hall administration to remove Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and activists from all dormitories and implement a policy to keep halls free from politics. Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) also staged a similar protest last week.

The demand for restricting student politics is a long-standing demand in the country, mainly due to various misdeeds of the student wings of the two main political parties - Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) and BNP. The situation turned into a horrific one during the 15-year rule of the now ousted Hasina regime. Ordinary students in all the public universities and colleges across the country used to get frightened at the very sight of the BCL members. The leaders and activists of the BCL ran a parallel administration in different dormitories of the universities and controlled the campuses by force. They took control of the dormitories, and teachers officially responsible for looking after the halls had little say. Ordinary students had long been subjected to ragging and torture. Those who were staying at the dormitories had to accept all the unethical and undignified activities perpetrated by the BCL cadres. The campuses of the universities were also under their tight grip. They rarely allowed any voice of dissent and did not hesitate to crack down on any gathering or move to protest the wrongdoing on campuses. From torture, intimidation, extortion, to physical assaults of female students and even the killing of ordinary students, there is a long list of misdeeds of the BCL activities.

The horrendous murder of Abrar Fahad, a student of BUET, on October 06, 2019 had shocked the whole country. As anger spread across the country, police arrested almost all the killers and their associates. BUET students also strongly protested and compelled the authorities to ban all kinds of political activities in the university. Students of other public universities were, however, not so fortunate, and they had to face ragging and bullying by BCL goons. The most disturbing thing was the shameless support of university teachers who were Hasina loyalists. They endorsedl awful crimes of the BCL goons in the name of curbing the anti-liberation forces.

During the July uprising last year, students for the first time resisted the BCL goons on different campuses and drove them out. After the fall of the Hasina regime on August 5, a ban on the BCL was imposed by the interim government. Now, the students do not want to return to the days of intimidation in the name of student politics. What they want is dormitories and campuses free from all kinds of ragging and bullying forever. It will be possible only when student politics are restricted.

Some argue that limited political activities are necessary to keep the campuses vibrant and advance the core interests of the students. They further argued that the July uprising is an outcome of constructive and positive student politics. Against the backdrop, it is time to redefine and reset the role and function of student politics. Until then, all educational institutions need to be free from that practice.

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