Editorial
Turf war at RU
Show zero tolerance to violence on campus
After a period of relative lull at Rajshahi University, there has been a fresh eruption of violence on the campus. A turf war between the ruling party-backed Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jamaat's student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir has left some 25 people injured, three of them with bullet wounds. Newspapers have published photographs of the student party activists shooting guns and brandishing large knives and sticks.
One published photograph depicts a BCL activist reloading his firearm right next to the police, leading us to question the role of the law enforcing agencies during the clashes. Not only were they ill-prepared in terms of preventing the violence, but they seem to have actually taken sides by chasing down only Shibir activists. If such violence is to be contained in future, those responsible -- regardless of their political affiliation -- must be identified and brought to book.
It is also interesting to note that, among those who were arrested after the clashes, were not only students belonging to the university but also those seeking admission there. Why these prospective students were engaging in violence on the campus, and what sort of a future awaits them if they do succeed in enrolling there, is something that needs to be considered. Such an initiation into higher education can hardly bode well for their academic future.
With the recent political unrest in the country and the government besotted with numerous problems, the so-called student groups seem to be gathering steam, motivation and opportunity to engage in violence. This cannot be allowed to continue and to spread to other campuses as such violence often does. The government must deal with the incident with a strong hand by punishing those responsible, regardless of which party line they may claim to tow. Under the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 2009, student parties should have no affiliation or association with political parties and this is an opportunity for the political parties to show that this is in fact true. Only a zero tolerance policy towards violent student politics can help avert such incidents in future.
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