BCL men stop exam at CU
The Chittagong University authorities had to postpone a graduation test for journalism students yesterday as Bangladesh Chhatra League activists did not allow the examinees to enter the exam hall.
Some 40 to 50 Chhatra League men obstructed the students at the Social Science building minutes before the exam was to start at 10:00am, said witnesses and teachers of the communication and journalism department.
They even attempted to padlock the exam hall.
They did it as the authorities did not allow a Chhatra League activist to sit for the exam. The activist in question was suspended for assaulting another Chhatra League leader with a deadly weapon, said CU proctor Ali Asgar Chowdhury and witnesses.
The proctor said the remaining tests would be held according to the routine and a new date for yesterday's test would be announced later.
Later in the day, Chhatra League central executive committee suspended two activists of the CU unit for “breaching discipline of the organisation”, says a press release from the pro-Awami League student body.
They suspended are: Mizanur Rahman Bipul, deputy office secretary, and Abdullah Al Kaiser, assistant secretary of the CU unit.
On October 17 last year, the CU authorities suspended three BCL activists, including Abdullah Al Kaiser, for two years for hacking Mahbub Shaharier Shakil, deputy sports secretary of the Chhatra League unit, on October 4.
Just before the exam was to begin yesterday morning, the BCL men, led by Kaiser, stopped the examinees from going inside.
University sources said Kaiser, a fourth year student of the journalism department, had tried several times to convince the authorities to let him sit for the test.
The examinees were also stopped at different points on campus, said witnesses.
On information, police from the CU outpost went to the scene and requested the Chhatra League activists to leave. As they refused, the law enforcers charged truncheons around 11:30am.
In the last few years, several public universities, medical and government colleges saw unrest as Chhatra league men engaged in clashes over establishing supremacy on the campus.
They clashed with their rivals in their own organisation and other student bodies, harming academic activities.
On September 9, 2014, academic activities of Government Titumir College in the capital came to a halt as some Chhatra League activists, who did not get any posts in the organisation's newly formed college unit committee, staged demonstrations and the authorities were compelled to suspend the academic activities.
In Sylhet Agricultural University, Chhatra League men laid siege to the residence of the vice-chancellor over the suspension of three of their men for allegedly attacking a lecturer on December 20, 2013.
Chhatra League men in Brahmanbaria locked in a clash with the law enforcers while protesting the arrest of a former president of their district unit on November 14, 2011.
When some Chhatra League men were suspended on allegation of sexual harassment, their fellow activists went berserk, resulting in the suspension of academic activities in Comilla University in 2011.
Demanding jobs, leaders and activists of Chhatra League Rajshahi University unit padlocked the main entrance to the university a couple of months ago.
Contacted, Awami League Organising Secretary AKM Enamul Haque Shamim told The Daily Star that his party as well as Chhatra League deal with wrongdoers with a firm hand.
"Our [AL] General Secretary Obaidul Quader has already called top leaders of Chhatra League over phone and asked them to take stern action against wrongdoers.
(Our CU Correspondent contributed to this report)
Comments