Editorial
Violence in public universities
Tame the BCL
The unbridled violence let loose by the student cadre of the Awami League in some public universities is extremely distressing. Saturday's attack on teachers of the Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia, and a few days before that on the teachers of Rokeya University, give one the impression that they can get away with anything.
Would the public be wrong in thinking that they have been assured impunity in their unruliness which, among other things, permits them to chastise not only 'errant' students but 'errant teachers' also. Reportedly, nearly 30 teachers of IU were injured when they were attacked by BCL activists inside the university in the teachers' lounge. And reportedly, the police contingent, as well as the local SP who was present inside the campus, did not do anything to protect the teachers. This is the second attack on IU teachers by BCL cadres in less than two months.
The teachers of IU had been abstaining from classes since September 8 of last year demanding the removal of the VC, his deputy and the registrar. And last month the government did accede to their demands, partly, by relieving both the VC and pro-VC. And the general students are fully justified in demanding immediate resumption of classes. But, while we agree that the academic calendar should never be disrupted, neither by the students, nor, certainly, by the teachers, setting upon the teachers to force them to resume classes under threat of death cannot be, and should not be, endorsed. Under the circumstances the academic calendar runs the risk of continued disruption.
Regrettably, the impunity with which the BCL cadres have gone about in these two, and other public universities, leads one to believe that their acts have the endorsement of certain quarters in the administration.
The Awami league must act on two counts immediately. Firstly, it must move decisively to tame its student cadre if it does not want its image to be sullied further and be seen as a party to what the BCL is doing. Secondly, it must go into the allegation of corrupt practices by the former IU VC and his deputy, to either prove or disprove the allegations leveled by the agitating teachers.
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