Open letter of BUET students to the Prime Minister
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Photo: Collected
The agitating students have written an open letter to the Prime Minister demanding to stop student politics at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), which is known as the cradle of genius.
On Tuesday (April 2) evening the students read out this letter at the press briefing in front of the Dr. MA Rashid administration building.
In the letter, the students said that the students of the University played an active role in the formation of public opinion among the poor people of this country during the language movement of the 1952s, the mass uprising of the 1970s, the liberation war of the 1971s, and the movement to overthrow the dictatorship in the 1980s. But in the past years we have witnessed the negative aspects of power in the name of student politics in the BUET campus. It is through student politics that the incidents like domination, violence, ragging, insulting teachers, extortion, student oppression, indulgence in murders have started and the extent of it was so terrible that we have our Sabikunnahar Soni Apu of Chmical Engineering 99, Arif Raihan Dwip bhai of Mechanical Engineering 09 and lastly lost our Abrar Fahad Bhai of EEE 17 as a cost.
They said, there are many more cases of torture of students in BUET. Under the cover of power, student politics, our right to roam freely on campus, healthy academic environment of campus, our freedom, fair use of hall mess money, drug free campus and right to enjoy a beautiful University life of new incoming BUET students were all lost. The atmosphere of BUET without student politics was extremely safe and educationally friendly. We are united to stop the radical forces as well.
The students said that the students of BUET have always wanted a safe and healthy campus where everyone's safety and proper learning environment will not be held hostage again by the chains of greed and lust for power. All the elements of healthy leadership and moral development have been present in the last few years even without the presence of student politics on campus and students has found their proper environment in practicing healthy leadership. Currently, the student-friendly environment in BUET has significantly increased the motivation of students to focus on academic studies as well as research work. The beauty of an apolitical campus has been widely admired and appreciated by people across the country. All the success of the politics-free BUET campus for more than 4 years tells us, we can build and develop the leadership with the technical knowledge needed to build Smart Bangladesh without student politics in our BUET campus; we can work continuously to achieve the goal of Smart Bangladesh.
Clearing our stand against radicalism, they said, we are always keen to keep our campus safe from any form of terrorism, radicalism or banned groups, just like anywhere in the country. In view of the recent events, it is being said from many quarters that there are activities of banned fundamentalist or terrorist organizations in the campus and as a result they are arguing for the practice of student politics in the BUET campus. We want to tell you without hesitation that if we common students see any activity of these banned terrorist groups going on in the campus at any moment we will take strict stand against it and inform the administration. Even if evidence of such activities is found in the campus in the future, then our position is firm against it.
Making an urgent appeal to the Prime Minister, the students said, "With your strong and quick intervention four years ago, we have learned to live in this campus anew." But in the cruel irony of fate, we are constantly being threatened, insulted and humiliated because of this small request. We, our younger brothers and sisters, do not want to witness those dark days again. Dear Prime Minister, we humbly request you to stand by us. You have always stood by the students; we know you will not leave us in this difficult time. Let the vision of the Father of our Nation around BUET be implemented. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman understood the nature of BUET was different. So he himself kept this University out of the ambit of politics. Today, when the leaders and activists of the political party built by him talk about bringing a specialized University like BUET under politics at any cost, we believe that the ideals and decisions of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are insulted.
Demanding to stop student politics even if the law is reformed if necessary, the students said, Honorable Prime Minister, our urgent appeal to you, implement the policy that the greatest Bengali ever dreamed of and adopted regarding BUET. Keep BUET out of student politics, even if necessary by reforming the law because law is created for justice. We request you, please come to our campus: we want to show you the ideal campus that the student-politicized BUET has become for students over the years.
Incidentally, recently, many students, including the central president and office secretary of the BCL, started a movement to prevent politics, focusing on the entry of many students into the BUET campus, where student politics is banned. In view of this, the University administration took several decisions, including canceling the seat of the student Imtiaz Rabbi, who was accused of helping the Chhatra League to enter the campus. In response to this and campus students Chhatra League organized a protest rally demanding the resumption of politics and openly entered the BUET campus with its leaders and activists and paid tributes at the Central Shaheed Minar. Finally, last Monday, the High Court announced the suspension of the notification banning student politics in BUET. Justice Md. Khasruzzaman’s bench ordered that there is no obstacle to student politics in the country's top engineering college.
