Chhatra League demands student politics at BUET

Online desk: Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) on Sunday demanded of lifting ban on student politics on the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) campus by the authorities concerned immediately

BCL president Saddam Hossain made the call from a protest rally held at Central Shaheed Minar premises in the afternoon.

The BCL, student wing of the ruling Awami League, also demanded that BUET authorities take steps to arrange elections to its student union.

Besides, it demanded that BUET change its decision to cancel seat allotment to BCL central committee leader and BUET student Imtiaz Hossain Rahim Rabbi.

Student politics was banned on the campus after the murder of Abrar Fahad, a second-year student by members of Bangladesh Chhatra League at the university’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall on October 7, 2019.

Earlier in the day, students cancelled their scheduled demonstration over the issue. They were supposed to hold a sit-in programme from 7:00am on the premises of Shaheed Minar of BUET campus.

The students did not offer a reason for the cancellation, but said they would hold a press conference on the issue in the afternoon.

BCL, meanwhile, began its protest programme from 11:45am at the Central Shaheed Minar, which is close to BUET.

Sources at Chhatra League said that the loudspeakers were set facing the BUET campus so that the university students could hear the speech of BCL leaders.

The general students have been demanding expulsion of several students, including Imtiaz Hossain Rahim Rabbi, for what they said, starting political activities on campus.

They also demanded removal of Prof Mizanur Rahman from the post of director of the Directorate of Students’ Welfare for his failure to enforce the rules.

The university on Friday cancelled the residency of Imtiaz, a student of civil engineering department, at a dormitory. It also formed a six-member committee to investigate the allegations and asked it to submit a report by April 8.