At least 20 leaders and activists of the leftist students’ union, Bangladesh Chhatra Union (BSU), were injured in a series of attacks allegedly by members of the Dhaka University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the ruling party student front, in different places on the DU campus over the last three days.
BSU activists claim BCL is hunting them down in and around the DU area, giving them the 'Chhatra Dal-Shibir treatment.'
BSU’s Dhaka University unit President Meghmallar Basu and General Secretary Maeen Ahmed, Dhaka City Assistant General Secretary Tahmid Shuvra, and Private Universities unit leader Shahriar Shihab, were injured in the latest attacks on Thursday.
Meghmallar was attacked with a sharp weapon in the eye; he is currently admitted to the National Institute of Ophthalmology Hospital.
Maeen Ahmed, who sustained an injury on the head, told UNB, "They are literally hunting us down. Megh and I were together at first; we parted ways, he went to Shahbag. Taking advantage of the situation, they singled out and attacked us."
"Previously, some of the opposition party had little scope to carry out political activism. But now, they are leaving no stone unturned to make the campus opposition-free," he said.
BSU Central President Ragib Naeem and General Secretary Rakibul Roni said in a statement that the Chhatra League is creating an atmosphere of fear to facilitate a one-sided national election and ensure what they called ‘the current dictatorial regime’ stays in power.
"Chhatra League attacked the protest march of the Democratic Student Alliance against the killings of 4 political activists of UPDF in the Chittagong Hill Tracts last Tuesday. Leaders of the alliance were injured in the attack by Chhatra League," it said.
The attacks intensified on the pretext of BSU members tearing down some banners featuring Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, after their protest against the murder of the UPDF activists on December 12.
On December 13, BCL hung a banner at the campus declaring BSU ‘a terrorist organization’ and draped the anti-terrorism Raju Sculpture, a famous DU landmark, completely in black in what they said was a protest against BSU's 'criminal activities.'
Tanbir Hasan Shaikat, general secretary of DU BCL, told UNB there are two factions of BSU, of which the one that tore the banner down of the PM is a terrorist faction.
"Members of Chhatra League and general students won't just sit around and do nothing if they tear down our PM's photo," Shaikat said, effectively acknowledging their role in perpetrating the subsequent attacks.