Editorial
Shibir Insobriety
YET another example of student politics gone awry was set by the Islami Chhatra Shibir activists at Chittagong University on Monday. Novel it was indeed. Never before admission test forms have been snatched by any student organisation as part of its agitation programme. The incident speaks of a heinous intention of putting all sorts of academic activities at the university to a standstill and thereby leaving the future of several thousand students in a precarious balance. Deliberately, the Shibir activists have resorted to a means to press home their demands for trial of the killing of two fellow members which has been unsettling for the university.
Death of two Shibir cadres in a gunfight with the ruling party's student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, is unfortunate and the killers must be severely dealt with. But, is it not the police's duty to investigate, trace the culprits and place them before court for trial? Then why take it out on the university and, more importantly, the general students? Is their action not tantamount to taking the law in their own hands?
Shibir's destructive attitude has to stop; otherwise, the law enforcement authorities should make sure that they be forced to back out; for, any attempt to deliberately tamper with the future of so many students is a culpable offence of the highest order. However, at this point of time, we would like to see sanity restored to the Chittagong University campus so that regular academic activities can resume. Also, we would expect the forms to be recovered with or without Shibir's co-operation.
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