THE infighting of the Chattogram College unit of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, that left five wounded on September 20 and the blockade of the University of Chittagong by a faction of the organisation’s university unit the day before over supremacy once again point to the unruly and disruptive behaviour of the organisation. Two factions led by the unit’s president and the general secretary in Chattogram College clashed while a Chittagong University unit faction led by two vice-presidents enforced a campus blockade as it had issues to settle with the unit’s president. The blockade resulted in the suspension of classes and examinations scheduled for the day. In August 1–2, a faction of the university unit, having failed to secure an expected number of positions in the unit committee, blocked the university and abducted three members on the railway staff, forcing the university to suspend classes and examinations. Such squabbles have become all too common over the years, often resulting in the closure of educational institutions, serious injuries to students, and, in some cases, death.

Other incidents of Chhatra League harassment of students, academics and, even outsiders, have continued to make headlines. On August 2, activists of the Jahangirnagar University unit Chhatra League tortured a campus-based journalist. On July 14, two Chittagong University unit activists, along with others, harassed a female student sexually. In January–August, a number of clashes broke out between Chhatra League factions in Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, Jahangirnagar University, Islamic University and others, resulting in the suspension of academic activities. General students, teachers and officials of educational institutions are the most affected by the activists of the Chhatra League, which has earned a bad name for its involvement in crimes such as rape, extortion and murder. The organisation has also come to increasingly become undemocratic and fascist in nature and has been high-handed towards dissenting opinions. Incidents of Chhatra League activists torturing students and teachers for their opinions made the headlines many times. It is not altogether unjustified when educationists say that nothing good can be expected of such a rogue organisation, which never moves for student welfare, and urge the authorities to rid seats of education of unwanted political interference and elements.

The distance between BCL activities and student politics, which should deal with student welfare, appears to be unbridgeable. The authorities, both the government and educational institutions, must realise that educational institutions need to maintain an environment that is conducive to learning and research and must, therefore, take action to rid the institutions of subversive political activities and organisations. It is, therefore, time the authorities considered banning such rogue student organisations and it is time political parties abandoned using students as their political muscle.