Editorial
Free to shoot and vandalize?
Such BCL elements should not be sheltered by AL leaders
There are indeed times when our perception of the right and the wrong is shaken due to the impossible that happens through the cracks of the system. On Wednesday this newspaper carried a photograph of a BCL activist who during a turf war with Shibir on the RU campus was holding a sharp weapon in one hand and shooting at his opponents with the other. Yet to our astonishment, it was he who filed a case against more than a hundred students with a Rajshahi police station. He was not interrogated, let alone arrested for his involvement.
This is a glaring example of how BCL activists in all educational institutions have been given a free hand by law enforcing agencies as well as their party bosses.
It is not an isolated incident, a fact which worries us all the more. Ever since the present AL-led grand alliance assumed office, BCL activists at DU, JU, RU, CU and other institutions have continued to vitiate the environment for ordinary students what with their vandalism, extortion, and violent in-fighting and assault on other students' parties with shocking fatalities sometimes. However, not a single accused has ever been arrested or punished. Resultantly, public universities have virtually become dens of arms-brandishing goons. One must ask why?
As party insiders themselves have given out, the reason lies in the fact that BCL men are sheltered by their local AL bosses, no matter how detestable their crimes are. Law enforcers, in the process, are made toothless to protect these student-turned-hooligans.
In this context we recall the prime minister warning rowdy BCL men of tougher action. But we believe their continued excesses harm the prime minister's credibility since there has been no change to that effect at institutional and law enforcement levels.
We think it is time now for the prime minister to intervene and ensure that BCL men are not shielded by local AL leaders and all of their unlawful activities are dealt with an iron hand.
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