BUET students boycott exams demanding politics free campus
Chhatra League president stands against them and threats
The students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) boycotted the examination demanding a campus free from student politics. All but one student refrained from appearing in the 20th batch term final examination on Sunday. However, the placement program has been suspended. They boycotted the exam and made five-point demands.
The protesting students conveyed this information in a press conference in the afternoon.
In the press conference, it was said that out of 1,215 students of the 20th batch, 1,214 did not participate in today's examination. From this, the collective moral position of students against the re-establishment of student politics on campus is clearly proven.
According to the protestors, after the killing of Abrar Fahad in 2019, student politics has been banned in BUET campus. However, after midnight last Wednesday, some leaders and workers of Chhatra League entered the BUET campus and carried out political activities.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Chhatra League held a protest rally on Sunday calling the university administration's decision to ban student politics unconstitutional, anti-fundamental rights and anti-education. Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain said, "I am giving an ultimatum, students union elections must be held in BUET. Imtiaz Bappi (the student whose seat has been cancelled) should be welcomed with due respect.'
He called for those involved in militant activities in BUET to be brought to justice.
Saddam Hussain also said that the death of Abrar in BUET campus has wounded their hearts. But this cannot happen that Hizbut Tahrir, JMB, Chhatra Shibir will be the masterminds of banning student politics in BUET campus. He said that a handful of pseudo-activists used ordinary students to bring them into the movement.
On the other hand, in the press conference of the general students, BUET students expressed serious security concerns. The reason for this was stated in the press conference, due to which no students gathered in BUET today (Sunday). Since Saturday night, continuous miking in the area around the campus, threatening phone calls to students, various rumors on social media, giving false tags to BUET students, posting pictures of students with their names, and all the propaganda that seriously disturbs their personal safety have been carried out. In this situation, the BUET campus and surrounding area has become unsafe for BUET students. Even outside the BUET campus, students fear for their personal safety. Due to security reasons, the BUET students did not stay on the campus this Sunday, it does not mean that the students have withdrawn from their demand for a campus without student politics.
It is said in the media that people associated with the university's student politics are spreading false propaganda against a large number of ordinary students who are agitating for BUET. We want to clarify again that our position is not against any particular student political organization. Rather, against the activities of all student political organizations in BUET campus. BUET students have always wanted a safe and healthy campus, where everyone's safety and proper learning environment will not be held hostage again by the chains of greed and lust for power.
