BCL to drop 11 controversial leaders

He further said that out of the 19 accused committee members they had identified earlier, eight were found innocent and therefore they would not be punished, adding that the 11 controversial figures they found in the committee would be stripped of their posts.

Rabbani further said that they would send a press release in this regard within a shortest possible time.  Earlier on May 28, the AL student wing announced that they would vacate 19 controversial posts primarily in the face of protest.

 Before that, on May 15, the Chhatra League revealed a list of 11 ‘controversial leaders’, who were awarded different posts in the committee.

Meanwhile, Chhatra League leaders who failed to make room or didn’t get their expected posts in the newly announced central committee continued their indefinite sit-in at the base of ant-terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture in Dhaka University on Tuesday for the 23rd consecutive day.

In a press conference on Tuesday, the deprived leaders’ spokesperson, also BCL’s former programme and planning affairs secretary, Rakib Hossain said that they were going to submit a memo to prime minister Sheikh Hasina to press home their four-point demands.

He further said that they would continue their protest until the controversial figures were removed and the committee was reconstituted. The deprived leaders alleged that the new committee had many leaders with criminal records along with non-students, drug abusers, drug dealers, married people and disputed individuals.

About the protesting leaders, Golam Rabbani said that they were also conducting investigations about them and most of them had record of anti-organisation activities, adding that no controversial person would be included in the central committee.

Earlier, PM Sheikh Hasina ordered the Chhatra League leaders to drop the controversial leaders from the central committee.

Prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina approved the central committee on May 13 about eleven months after Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon and Golam Rabbani were made president and general secretary respectively in the 29th council session of the organisation. 

Following the announcement of its 301-member full-fledged central committee, at least two factional clashes took place between two groups leaving many injured.

Dhaka 18 June (campuslive24.com)//AZ