Two rogue BCL leaders expulsion from the party
A culture of
immunity is
prevailing among many members of the student wing of the ruling party. They are getting away with rampant arson, extortion, rape, murder and what not
The manhandling of a cop by a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader at Shariatpur came soon after photographs of two gun wielding members of the organizations were seen in the media during an eviction drive of hawkers in the capital. The organization expelled the two in rare show of resolve to weed out the organization of criminal elements. However, it is also clear that the message of their criminality has not percolated through to the rest of their cohorts, who are still able to run roughshod over the law. Unfortunately more often than not the leaders of the organistation have preferred to look the other way when its members have taken the law into their hands and indulged in criminal activities.
A culture of immunity is prevailing among many members of the student wing of the ruling party. They are getting away with rampant arson, extortion, rape, murder and what not. They are not content with crushing opponents using brute force, violent intra-party feuds have become the norm rather than the exception. How can this Chhatra League be expected to uphold the rights of the students or Awami Leagues political ideology? It is important to note that the police too have failed to take any deterrent steps in almost all the cases. What is more regrettable is that even the ministers have failed to translate the tough words they utter at regular intervals into action.
Members of the student fronts of political parties should not be used as goons to help repress the public or be given impunity when they abuse their power. Instead, there should be trainings for future leaders who will truly adhere to the mother partys values and become sincere champions who will work for the welfare of the people. And when they go rogue, the organisation must take steps to punish such behaviour as was the case after the hawker eviction incident in the capital.
There simply can no excuse for criminality by BCL or any other student or political group. The impunity with which a small number of criminals can dominate BCL and instigate violent actions must be ended. It is too late for simple reprimands. BCL has been given too many free passes already. Authorities and law enforcers must take strong action to bring culprits before the law and root out criminality once and for all, from campuses. The reputation of the ruling party is at stake if such actions are permitted to continue unchecked.
