The Interim Government has banned Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League, on charge of murder, torture, extortion and rape under Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009.
The BCL has also been listed as prohibited entity under Schedule-II of the said Act.
“The ban will come into effect immediately,” reads a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and Jatiya Nagarik Committee on Wednesday urged the government to ban the BCL by Thursday. The government banned the BCL before the stipulated time.
The notification, signed by Senior Secretary Mohammad Abdul Momen, cited various reasons for the ban, including murder, torture, persecution in dormitories, and others.
The ministry said, “Awami League’s fraternal organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League has been involved in various public security activities, including murder, torture, common room-based oppression, seat trading in dormitories, tender bidding, rape and sexual harassment at various times in the post-independence of Bangladesh, especially during the last 15 years of dictatorial rule.”
The notification also said, “During the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, since 15 July 2024, Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders and activists assaulted hundreds of protesting students and general masses with frenzied and reckless armed attacks, killing hundreds of innocent students and individuals, and endangering the lives of many others.
“Where as the government has sufficient evidence that even after the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024, Bangladesh Chhatra League has been involved in conspiratorial, destructive and provocative activities against the state and various terrorist activities, therefore, the government, under the powers bestowed under sub-section (1) of Section 18 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009, bans Bangladesh Awami League's fraternal organisation ‘Bangladesh Chhatra League’ and lists the student organisation named ‘Bangladesh Chhatra League’ as a banned entity under Schedule -II of the said Act,” adds the notification.
In a reaction, the BCL president Saddam Hossain, who has gone into hiding after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government amid a mass upsurge, strongly condemned the decision of the interim government, which does not have the legitimacy.
“The Interim government does not have the legal, democratic and ethical legitimacy. So, the Bangladesh Chhatra League is not worried about the ridiculous activities of the interim government,” he told the Bangladesh Post over phone.
The hands of this government have been stained with the blood of Awami League, Chhatra League leaders and activists and Bangladesh Police. The government has taken such decision to shift the onus of genocide on us,” he said.
On 4 January in 1948, the East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League was established by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at a meeting at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall at the University of Dhaka.
Naeemuddin Ahmed was the first convener of BCL while Khaleque Nawaz Khan was the founder general secretary of the Chhatra League.
The Chhatra League played an important role in the Bengali Language Movement of 1952 through breaking curfews with their protests.
The Chhatra League led student protests against the Shariff Commission recommendations in the 1962 East Pakistan Education movement.
The organisation’s name was changed to the Bangladesh Chhatra League after the Independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Bangladesh Chhatra League was a key player, but in 1972, it broke up into two factions.
The group was a pioneer in the 1952 Language Movement, the 1954 general election victory of the United Front (East Pakistan), the anti-Aiyub movement in 1958, the education movement in 1962, the Six-Point movement in 1966, the mass uprising in 1968, and the 1970 general elections.
During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, members of the Chhatra League were recruited into the Mujib Bahini (also known as the Bengal Liberation Force).
