The interim government in Bangladesh has banned Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Awami League, under the terrorism act. The home ministry issued a gazette notification last night, stating that Chhatra League has been banned with immediate effect.
The govt invoked section 18 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act-2009 to ban the organisation, and listed it as a banned entity. The section reads: “For the purposes of this act, the government, on reasonable grounds that a person or an entity is involved in terrorist activities, may, by order, enlist the person in the schedule or proscribe the entity and enlist it in the schedule.”
The notification claims that BCL has been involved in different conspiratorial, subversive and terrorist activities against the state since the fall of the Awami govt on 5 August. It calls BCL a brotherly organisation of Awami League, and accuses it of being involved in crimes like murder, torture, and oppression of students.
The govt alleged that Chhatra League took money for dormitory rooms for students, manipulated tender, raped and sexually harassed women, and committed other crimes, particularly in the last 15 years during the rule of Sheikh Hasina.
“At various times since the independence of Bangladesh, especially during the last 15 years od dictatorial rule, the Bangladesh Chatra League, the fraternal organization of Bangladesh Awami League, has been involved in various public security-related activities including killings, torture, harassment in common rooms, trading of seats in dormitories, gangs, rape and sexual harassment”, said the order issued by Bangladesh home ministry.
“Documentary information regarding these have been published in all the major media of the country and in some terrorist incidents, the leaders and workers of the organization have also been proved in the criminal court”, the order added.
It adds that BCL members attacked the students participating in the anti-discrimination movement in July this year, killed and injured hundreds of students and other people. The gazette notice says, ‘there are evidence that there are charges of conspiratory, destructive and provocative acts against the nation along with various terror activities against Chhatra League leaders even after the fall of Awami League government’.
This comes amid increasing demands from the student groups who toppled the Sheikh Hasina government to ban the student group. The student groups had threatened to take to streets if Chhatra League is not banned within a week.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, the group that led the movement against reservation in jobs and then against Sheikh Hasina govt, announced a five-point demands, including the resignation of Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin. The demands also included banning the Bangladesh Chatra League.
Hundreds of students were demonstrating in front of the Dhaka University vice chancellor’s office demanding the ban. The received the news of the ban there and cheered the decision.
Awami League and Bangladesh Chhatra League have condemned the interim govt for the decision. Notably, there are also demands to ban the Awami League, and the govt has announced that the party won’t be allowed to contest elections.
