Editorial
Toll-seeking BCL elements
Why aren't they reined in?
REPORTEDLY, a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader of Haji Mohammad Mohsin hall has forced the contractors to stop repair work of a vulnerable portion of the hall that is urgently in need of repair. This, unfortunately, is symptomatic of a spate of extortionist behaviour that elements within BCL have fallen for since the AL came to power.
Given that the work in the said hall of residence involves safety of a large number of students residing therein, it seems extraordinary that a student leader would display the gumption of halting the work related to the wellbeing of the students. The fact has been confirmed by not only the contractor but also the provost of the hall who is apparently helpless against the might of some student leaders.
There is a litany of illegal activity by some elements belonging to the BCL shows a dangerous trend inasmuch as extortionist acts have now spilled into the university campuses from outside. The process of development work of Dhaka University and the halls of residence, it seems, has become hostage to the unlawful demands of these extortionists. These are culpable acts, and to see them being carried on with impunity gives one the cause for worry.
The central BCL leaders, we are told, have warned hall level leaders to refrain from, in their own words, criminal activities, failing which stern action would be taken against the errant persons. We cannot take heart from what these leaders or indeed any AL leader has been, and is, saying in this regard. Let their deeds prove their words.
Many senior AL leaders, and that include the PM, have been saying ad nauseam that such activities would not be tolerated. Yet, in spite the exhortations, these illegal activities are going on unabated. These words are not only having no effect on the students, these are turning out to be mere rhetoric in the absence of any control being effectively exercised over the unruly elements belonging to the student wing. This state of affairs must be addressed lest the ground under the AL leadership starts to slip away.
One wonders whether the government feels embarrassed by these excesses, but it must be alive to the fact that if unchecked, these could seriously erode its credibility. The government must come down heavily on these elements, without wasting time on identifying them, since no doubt the AL leaders know fully well who they are.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments