In CMC, student politics is banned in name only

Although student politics is officially banned on Chattogram Medical College (CMC) campus and its dormitories, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) has been carrying out its activities as authorities continue to turn a blind eye, alleged students.

They often lock into factional clashes, which put the lives of students at risk and hampers academic activities, they claimed.

They even use the dorm rooms as "torture cells" to "discipline" students who belong to or are suspected of belonging to a different political ideology, according to the students.

In the latest incident, BCL activists reportedly kept Zahid Hossain Wakil, Sakib Hossain, MA Raihan and Mobashwer Hossain Shubhra of MBBS 62 batch confined to a dormitory room from Wednesday midnight to Thursday evening, torturing them on suspicion that they were Shibir activists.

Zahid and Sakib had to be admitted to the ICU of Chattogram Medical College Hospital.

Mahadi Bin Hashim, a former BCL leader and general secretary of CMC Intern Doctors' Association, said the BCL faction loyal to Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury was involved with the incident.

We lodged a complaint with CMC Academic Council on Monday asking for a neutral probe into the incident, and ensuring punishment of the perpetrators and safety of the victims on the campus and dormitories in future.

Mizanur Cousin of injured Sakib

Mahadi, a former leader of CMC BCL faction loyal to AL Chattogram city unit general secretary AJM Nasir Uddin, said no activist of Nasir's group was involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, Abhijit Das, a CMC unit BCL leader loyal to Mohibul, claimed that no students were tortured on campus. "The four students were conducting Shibir activities and were warned not to do so," he told the media.

However, the relatives and family members of the victims claimed that they were not involved in politics.

Of them, Mizanur Rahman, a cousin of Sakib, said, "Sakib's father is a day labourer. He is the eldest of three siblings."

"Sakib has to earn through private tuition and by taking classes at coaching centres to support his family and maintain expenses of his younger siblings."

"BCL activists tortured Sakib by calling him to their room around 1:00am on Thursday. If police check the CCTV footage of the dorm, it would be proven."

Manjur Quader, officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar Police Station, said no case has been filed in this connection. "Even when the injured students were asked about the incident, they claimed that they were injured in accidents."

Asked why they did not file any case with the police station over the incident, Mizanur said, "The family was scared of taking any legal step thinking about the future security of their son."

"We lodged a complaint with CMC Academic Council on Monday asking for a neutral probe into the incident, and ensuring punishment of the perpetrators and safety of the victims on the campus and dormitories in future," he said.

Contacted, CMC Principal Prof Shahena Akhter said she received a letter from the families of the victims, and the college academic council will sit in a meeting immediately to take action in this regard.

According to CMC sources, since Awami League came to power in 2008, the BCL faction loyal to Nasir took sole control over the campus and dormitories, driving out the Chhatra Dal and Shibir activists.

However, in 2020, the CMC BCL unit was divided into two factions -- one loyal to Mohibul and other loyal to Nasir.

Since then, clashes started on the campus and dormitories. The two factions locked in clashes for six to seven times in 2020. At least 13 students from both factions were injured in the infighting that year. On October 30, 2021, CMC student Mahadi J Akib, also an activist of BCL faction loyal to Mohibul, was seriously injured in an attack by the faction loyal to Nasir, His skull was fractured in the attack, and he later recovered at the ICU.

Following the incident, CMC's academic activities were suspended for 27 days.

Later, academic activities restarted, and student politics on the campus and dormitories was banned in November 2021.

But even then, clashes and torturing could not be stopped in dormitories.

On February 1 this year, two CMC dormitories located at Nasirabad Residential Area in the city were declared closed after BCL infighting and vandalism.