Leaders of some students鈥� organisations on Tuesday said that Islami Chhatra听Shibir could not avoid the responsibility of the repressive acts of Bangladesh Chhatra League as a听Shibir leader at Dhaka University was found to hold a post in a committee of BCL at DU.
Some other organisations鈥� leaders, however, said that the responsibility of BCL鈥檚 misdeeds would fall on the individual leader of Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who was found to hold a post in a committee of BCL,听 the student organisation of Awami League.
The leaders said that BCL created a repressive environment on campuses across the country and forced students to join their activities.
They said that remaining silent about BCL鈥檚 repressive activities was nothing but silent support to such activities.
The student leaders made the remarks in the backdrop of the exposure of Shibir鈥檚 DU unit secretary SM Farhad鈥檚 identity. According to a list of the Social Welfare and Research Institute unit of BCL, published in November 2022, Farhad鈥檚 name was mentioned as a joint general secretary of the BCL unit.
Though Shibir had no visible activities on DU campus for over a decade, their presence on the campus came to light on September 21 when the university authorities held a meeting with the leaders of different students鈥� organisations. Shadik Kayem, whom general students identified as an organiser of the anti-discrimination student movement, attended the meeting as the president of the DU unit of Shibir.
Shibir cannot deny the responsibility of BCL鈥檚 misdeeds on the campus as they implanted their activists in BCL and supported the suppressive activities of AL鈥檚 student organisation, Dhaka University unit of Bangladesh Students鈥� Union general secretary Maeen Ahmed said.
鈥楢n organisation has to take responsibility of the acts of its leaders and activists,鈥� DU unit of Jatiyatabadi Chattra Dal general secretary Nahiduzzaman Shipon said, while responding to a question whether the responsibility of suppressive acts of BCL would fall on Shibir as a leader of Shibir was found holding a post of a BCL committee.
鈥楩or example, my organisation will have to take responsibility of the misdeeds of any of its leaders or activists,鈥� he said.
He said that the individuals involved in repressive acts should be brought to book.
Socialist Students鈥� Front general secretary Rafiquzzaman Farid said that the individual Shibir leader or leaders holding post in BCL or involved in BCL politics must take the responsibility for misdeeds of BCL.
Student Federation of Bangladesh president Mashiur Rahman Khan Richard said that Shibir activists鈥� involvement in BCL politics as a political strategy should be considered 鈥榤orally questionable鈥� as other student organisations remained on the streets facing repressions from AL government.
One should not be considered guilty for one鈥檚 political identity, he said.
Revolutionary Student Unity president Dilip Roy alleged that Bangladesh Awami League and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and their student wings were historically 鈥榩artners in crime鈥�.
He smelled AL and Jamaat鈥檚 collusion in suppressive activities and alleged that Jamaat had the history of maintaining relations with ruling political parties.
Hasib Al Islam, a coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, said that if someone belonging to one ideology holds a post in an organisation having another ideology and, if the later organisation engaged in misdeeds, and if the individual remained silent without protests, then it could be said that they shared the responsibility of the misdeeds.
Farhad could not be reached for comments over the issue on Tuesday.
On Monday, when asked about his name listed as BCL joint general secretary, he said, 'My name was added without my permissin l. I have not participated in any Chhatra League programmes or activities.'
In response to a question as to why he didn't protest against the BCL posting, he said, 'At that time, it wasn't feasible to oppose the Chhatra League on the campus.'
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