# HC orders in favor of BUET student politics
# Students want to support students, teachers to ban politics
Whatever the court says, I have to accept
- Dr Satya Prasad Majumder, VC, BUET
All kinds of student politics should be stopped
- Prof Kamrul Hasan Mamun, DU
Had I known student politics would return, I would not have been admitted
- Abrar Fayaz, brother, Abrar Fahad
The High Court (HC) stayed an emergency notification issued by the authorities of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) suspending student politics yesterday. As a result, there is no bar to student politics in the country's top engineering institute.
BUET students held a press conference after the court's decision. They want a ban on student politics to maintain a safe environment on the campus. The students also urged the teachers to stand by this demand. After the decision of the court, the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of BUET himself stated his position and said, "I have to abide by what the court says."
However, educationists think that student politics should be for the students. Stop the politics of tender manipulation, extortion, eating without paying, and torturing students.
The bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman passed the order in favour of student politics yesterday. Imtiaz Rabbi, a student of the university and a leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), filed the writ petition with the concerned branch of the High Court. The writ petition sought a stay on the notice issued by the BUET authorities banning politics. In 2019, the then BUET VC Prof Saiful Islam banned student politics. He said that according to the policy, there is no scope for teacher politics.
Meanwhile, students of BUET have protested demanding a campus free from student politics. However, BCL president Saddam Hussain has given an ultimatum to bring back student politics in BUET immediately. He also demanded the return of the seat of BUET student and BCL central leader Imtiaz Hossain Rahim Rabbi. The ultimatum was given at a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar on Sunday.
After receiving the court verdict in favor of student politics, the general students of BUET held a press conference in the afternoon. The students of BUET said, "We have full faith in the judicial system. Despite the ban on student politics on the BUET campus, BCL leaders and activists came to the campus at midnight on March 28, which violated the university's policy."
After the killing of Abrar Fayaz on October 7, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on October 9 at Ganabhaban that student politics is banned in many institutions. If BUET thinks there will be no student politics, then there will be no politics. Following the demands of the students, the BUET administration banned all kinds of politics from the campus.
Regarding the ban on politics, the students also said, "We are united about the absence of student politics on the campus. That student politics creates ragging culture on campus which has to be the scapegoat of ordinary students. It didn't bring us anything good for the students. The most extreme example of this is Sabikunnahar Soni and Abrar Fahad of BUET. The environment of BUET was safe and student-friendly without student politics. We can also resist fundamentalist forces unitedly."
Looking beside the teachers, the students said, the current teachers are our guardians. We never felt from them that they want student politics to be there on the campus. They were always with us. We appeal to all our teachers to stand by us in such a crisis. We trust the VC sir. He was always on our side. He has been meeting us for the last three days. They should fulfill the desire of all teachers and students for a politics-free campus.
Abrar Fayaz, brother of Abrar Fahad who was killed in the BUET campus, told The Daily Post that student politics was banned after the murder of my brother Abrar Fahad. When student politics was banned, the students thought there was justice in the country. They dared to protest at any cost. But we are surprised by the High Court's sudden verdict. Had I known that student politics would return, I would not have been admitted to BUET.
BUET VC Satya Prasad Majumder said, "I have to accept what the court says. We cannot contempt of court. The teachers, students and administration will have to make a transformation to maintain the atmosphere of politics. How to do that has to be discussed has to be discussed. Currently, UCSU (Student Union) activities are closed. They can do something with the opinions of all parties. If he does something alone, it cannot be implemented. It has to be approved by the syndicate, it has to be included in the ordinance. The approval of the President and the Chancellor of the University must be obtained. Otherwise, it will not enter the university ordinance. They have limitations. They obeyed court orders. The university follows its rules. But the court's order is upheld."
Dhaka University Professor Dr Kamrul Hasan Mamun told The Daily Post that we do not see politics with students. Politics is also possible through social and cultural movements and all this should be done by the students, student politics for the students. If tender manipulation, extortion, eating without paying, and torturing students etc will continue, this kinds of politics would not be helpful for students. It is not good for the country, rather it learns the politics of how to loot the country and ruin the country. My point is simple. All kinds of student politics should be stopped. Students will do social and cultural activities and through this they will learn future leadership.
After the murder of Abrar Fahad in October 2019, the authorities of BUET banned student politics in the face of student demand. However, when the central committee of BCL was announced with the post of BUET students last year, the matter was discussed again. Students alleged that BCL activists entered the BUET campus around 1:00am on last Wednesday.
ZH
