Masud Rana, Barishal

To prevent the banned Chhatra League from creating any kind of chaos in Barishal, Member Secretary of Metropolitan BNP Md. Ziauddin Sikder has issued a warning to all the leaders and workers of the Metropolitan BNP to prevent the chaos of the banned Chhatra League.

From his own Facebook ID Ziauddin Sikder, Barishal City requested all concerned including leaders of all levels of BNP-members and allied organizations to stay in the field.

He told The Country Today that the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification regarding the banning of the terrorist organization Chhatra League. The announcement given by the political wing-2 of the ministry said that during various periods after the independence of Bangladesh, especially during the last 15 years of dictatorial rule, Bangladesh Awami League's fraternal organization Bangladesh Chhatra League committed various types of murder, torture, common room-based oppression, seat trading in dormitories, tender betting, rape and sexual harassment. It was involved in acts of disruption to public security and related documentary information was published in all the major media of the country and in some terrorist incidents, the organization's leaders and activists were also proven guilty in court.

During the anti-discrimination student movement since July 15, the leaders and activists of the Chhatra League killed hundreds of innocent students and people and endangered the lives of many more people by attacking the protesting students and general public with frenzied and reckless armed attacks. The government has enough evidence that even after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, the Bangladesh Chhatra League has been involved in conspiratorial, destructive and provocative activities against the state and various terrorist activities.

In this situation, the government has banned Bangladesh Awami League's fraternal organization 'Bangladesh Chhatra League' under the powers given in sub-section (1) of section 18 of the 'Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009' and the student organization named 'Bangladesh Chhatra League' in schedule-2 of that law. Listed as Prohibited Entity mentioned in notification.

Also in 1971 Chhatra League formed Mujib Bahini to fight for the independence of Bangladesh and participated in the war. It is recognized as a fraternal organization of Bangladesh Awami League. The year 1972 was before 1975, the Chhatra League played a role in the struggle to build the war-torn country. In 1983, the Bangladesh Chhatra League led the education movement and 10 points of all-party student unity in spite of the military rule.

Later, Chhatra League came under criticism for various reasons including factionalism, infighting, attacks on opponents. Between 2009 and 2014, at least 33 people were killed and 1,500 seriously injured in Chhatra League attacks.

Between 2014 and 2018, the death toll rose to 129. 31 people died in 2018 alone. A Chhatra League leader was arrested for alleged links to the banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in a militant search after the July 2016 attacks in Dhaka.

Evidence of the involvement of Chhatra League leaders and workers in the communal violence in Bangladesh in 2021 has also been found. Many Chhatra League leaders and activists have been accused of blackmailing female students of Eden Women's College and running a forced prostitution ring.