The New Nation - Internet Edition

Najmul Alam Nobin

Student politics at the Dhaka University is gaining pace as some leaders of the student wings of the main political parties are trying to start their political activities on the campus.

The leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student-wing of BNP are equally divided on the issue of reforms like their parent organisation.

Mid-ranking leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the Awami League are making their way back on the campus to revive student politics after a long time. The leaders of the student organisations were out of the field for a long time after the three-day campus violence in August. After the lifting of the ban on indoor politics they started to reorganise themselves.

As the JCD top leaders are either in jail or absconding, mid-ranking leaders and activists are gathering under the leadership of either Saeed Iqbal Titu, an expelled JCD leader who is renowned on the campus as a reformist student leader or Akram Hossain, Joint Secretary of JCD who leads the loyalists faction of the JCD.

Sources said leaders and activists who were deprived in the past from party posts and other facilities are joining under the banner of the reformist leaders. They regularly meet at the Madhu's Canteen, while the loyalist faction normally gathers at the Hakim Chattar on the campus.

Junior activists of the party are gathering under the fold of the loyalist faction. Both the factions gather on the campus regularly for occasional showdown.

Meanwhile, it is alleged that some leaders along with the reformists have hobnobbed with the police administration to get away with breaching emergency power rules.

Abdul Karim Sarker alias Tehari Karim, General Secretary of JCD Surya Sen Hall unit, sued in a case of breaching the EPR on March 7, for bringing out procession on the campus after the arrest of the party Senior Joint Secretary Tarek Rahman has returned to the hall and started his political activities, sources in the Surya Sen Hall said.

A mid-ranking leader loyal to the loyalists faction of JCD told The New Nation that they had been waiting for a change and also for a unified BNP so that they do not harm their political career by joining one faction of the party.

However, both the factions of JCD have taken stance against the leaders who took favours during the BNP regime and fled when the party faced crisis.

The BCL has started their politics, which is mainly focusing on the relief operations. The BCL leaders and activists are also staging small-scale showdown on the campus under the leadership of Sohel Rana Tipu, president of BCL of Dhaka University unit.

Though there is no division within the BCL regarding the party reform issue but there have been groupings inside the BCL. A group is still known as the rebel the party under the leadership of Sohel and Mizan of SM Hall and Zahurul Haque, who were deprived of due posts in the committee.

The student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Shibir, which is virtually underground is organising their party within the halls. They were alleged to be favoured by some hall administrations. Incidents took place on the campus this year on this issue at Muhsin Hall and Zahurul Haque Hall, where general students demonstrated against the hall authorities.

Meanwhile, the leftist student organisations have mainly engaged themselves in the post cyclone relief work.