Tension simmering over student politics in Buet

A tense atmosphere loomed over Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) yesterday as university students protested against on-campus politics while the student wing of the ruling party, Chhatra League, placed their demands for lifting the existing ban on politics at the university.

Protesting Buet students pledged that they are against all kinds of student politics.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League at a rally at the Shaheed Minar demanded lifting the ban on student politics on campus and giving back its leader Imtiaz Hossain Rabbi his hall allotment within 24 hours.

The Buet students did not announce any further activities in the face of Chhatra League's ultimatum.

The students gathered in front of the university's administrative building yesterday and issued a statement to the press affirming their stance.

"We, once again, want to clearly state our pledge that students of Buet are against all kinds of student politics. We believe in the spirit of the Liberation War and the spirit of independence," the statement said.

Five students read out the statement during the press briefing. They, however, declined to disclose their identities over security concerns that led protesting students from all batches to refrain from gathering in the campus yesterday morning.

Students claimed the situation surrounding Buet and its adjacent areas has become increasingly unsafe since Saturday night. There have been repeated instances of miking from surrounding areas, threatening students over phone calls, spreading rumours on social media, and wrongfully labelling Buet students. 

Additionally, the identities of protesters have been publicly disclosed, aggravating concerns for their safety. Moreover, no student from 22 batches of the university participated in the term final exams on 30 March.

"Our stance is not against any single student political organisation but for activities of all kinds of political organisations within the campus," the students read out further stating that they were against all kinds of banned political organisations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir.

"Students have always desired for a safe and sound campus where security and an appropriate educational atmosphere wouldn't be shackled over political power games and greed.

"Without political presence in Buet over the last few years, all co-curricular activities, academic works, club activities, and national days were observed festively," the students further said.

The students said they believed in the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's dream of building a science and technology based golden Bangladesh. 

"All the students of Buet stand in solidarity with the commitment and efforts of the honourable prime minister to build a smart Bangladesh and are eager to contribute towards making themselves qualified engineers. 

"Not wanting student politics on campus does not mean moving away from the ideology of the Liberation War. We just don't want greed of power and malpractices to come again and hold the majority of students hostage," they added.

The Buet students' protest began on 29 March with students boycotting all sorts of academic activities after a few leaders and activists of the Chhatra League allegedly entered the campus and carried out political activities on 27 March.

Expressing their anger over the incident, the protesting students placed several demands to the Buet administration in written form on Friday afternoon. They issued an ultimatum to the authorities to expel Imtiaz Rabbi, a civil engineering student and a central leader of Chhatra League.

The demands also included the expulsion of students who assisted the Chhatra League leaders in entering the campus at night and an explanation from the university administration on why political activities were allowed on the campus.

In the statement yesterday, they said if any student of Buet was involved in Chhatra Shibir politics, they demanded a fair investigation into the matters. They said they would not let the sacrifice of Abrar Fahad go in vain.

Chhatra League's demand

On 30 March, the Buet students protesting against student politics on campus demanded the permanent expulsion of Rabbi to which the university authorities responded by revoking Rabbi's dormitory allotment.

Chhatra League leaders termed the matter of banning student politics in Buet a 'black law' (referring to the Buet administration's imposed ban). They called for the immediate introduction of systematic student politics within the campus.

During the protest, the Chhatra League leaders and activists termed the ban on student politics at Buet premises as being "unconstitutional, anti-education and a breach of basic rights."

Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain said, "Is cutting off the head due to a headache the solution? The banning of student politics in Buet campus should be abolished. The scope of democratic activities should be ensured according to the law."

The Chhatra League president also demanded that Buet authorities take steps to arrange elections for its student union.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch Chief Harun-or-Rashid said they were monitoring whether any banned organisation was operating in the name of the ongoing movement at Buet.

The university's Vice-Chancellor Satya Prasad Majumder yesterday stated that student politics could resume on campus if desired by teachers and students saying that the decision was taken based on the situation that arose back then.

The Buet administration imposed the ban on student politics after Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of electrical and electronics engineering, was allegedly beaten to death by Chhatra League activists at Sher-e-Bangla Hall on 7 October 2019.

Later, on 8 December 2021, a Dhaka court sentenced 20 Buet students to death and five others to life imprisonment for the death of Abrar.