DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Awami League alleged that the academic futures of thousands of students affiliated with its student wing have been systematically dismantled through mob intimidation, arbitrary expulsions, arrests, and an atmosphere of fear created by supporters of the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, the National Citizen Party (NCP), Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The party said that in the aftermath of what has been “romanticised” as Bangladesh’s “Student Movement” in 2024, a dark reality has unfolded across the country’s university campuses.
According to the Awami League, following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, the students, leaders, activists, and even peripheral supporters associated with its student wing Bangladesh Students League (BSL) were branded as “enemies of the new order".
Although the organisation was banned in October 2024 under anti-terrorism laws, it said what followed was a wave of reprisals that turned university campuses into "no-go zones" for anyone with even tenuous BSL links.
“This is not justice. It is collective punishment that risks sacrificing an entire generation on the altar of political vendetta. While the world applauds Bangladesh’s so-called democratic ‘reset,’ thousands of young people are being denied the fundamental right to education, simply for their political associations,” said the Awami League.
Citing reports from public universities in Bangladesh, the party alleged that students who attempted to return to campus for examinations or classes faced immediate hostility.
Referring to media reports, it said one student affiliated with the BSL, speaking anonymously to a media outlet, recounted being attacked while trying to sit for an examination before being arrested on “dubious charges” and spending 27 days in jail.
According to the Awami League, the student has not returned to campus since then, and nearly a year and a half later, her education remains in limbo.
“This is not an isolated incident. Dhaka University issued show-cause notices to 403 students, predominantly BSL members, over alleged involvement in July 2024 events. Jahangirnagar University expelled over 100 BSL students, with some reports citing up to 289. Similar mass expulsions and suspensions occurred at SUST, Chittagong University, and others. Many were barred from campus entirely, their certificates revoked or withheld,” the party highlighted.
The party noted that even students with no formal charges or disciplinary records have been driven into academic exile, living in constant fear amid what it described as "complete collapse of institutional authority".
“Across major institutions like Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Chittagong universities, administrations have capitulated to vigilante demands, allowing hostile student groups to issue decrees branding BSL affiliates ‘unwelcome’ in classrooms and exam halls. When targeted students plead for security to attend exams, department chairs offer a shameful, consistent response: ‘We cannot guarantee your safety. Do not return’,” the Awami League stated.
The party accused university officials of surrendering campuses to mob rule by refusing protection and enforcing "unofficial expulsion."
“Facing constant threats of mob lynchings, police harassment, and physical assault, thousands of students remain barred from their education solely over perceived political affiliation, with academic institutions actively facilitating vigilante detentions,” it added.
