Violence of Bangladesh Chhatra League

The Bangladesh Chhatra League, formerly known as East Pakistan Student League, often simply called the Chhatra League, is a students' political organisation in Bangladesh. The student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League has been repeatedly accused of using torture, extortion, violence, forced prostitution and killings to instill fear. More than 33 people were killed and 1,500 got seriously injured from attacks by BSL between 2009 and 2014. Number of fatalities rose to 129 between 2014 and 2018, while 31 people were killed in 2018 alone.

Following the attacks on student protesters in 2018, a petition was started by general people of Bangladesh to "Enlist Bangladesh Chhatra League (BSL) as a Terrorist Organization" at Change.org. In 2019, prominent English-language daily of Bangladesh, Dhaka Tribune labelled the organization as "the brand of shame". On 26 May 2022, after a series of attacks on dissident student groups, eight left-wing student organizations termed Bangladesh Chhatra League a 'terrorist organization'.

On 15 July, during the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement, led under the banner of Anti-discrimination Students Movement and attended by students from various universities, colleges, and schools across Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Chhatra League along with Bangladesh Jubo League, Bangladesh Awami Swechasebak League and the law enforcement agencies conducted a series of attacks on the participants. These attacks resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 students and injured over 15,000. Additionally, wounded students seeking treatment at Dhaka Medical College were also attacked by activists of this organisation. The violence was widely referred to as the 'July massacre'.

Rape and violence against women

Since the 1990s, numerous rape and sexual violence allegations have surfaced in the media involving Chhatra League leaders and activists. Leaders, activists and members of the organisation are often accused of using rape as a tool to suppress the women and create an environment of fear. There is also well documented incidents involving Chhatra League leaders celebrating the raping of one hundred women.

Culture of rape in Jahangirnagar University

Main article: 1999 JU Anti-Rape Movement

The general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League Jahangirnagar University unit, Jasimuddin Manik and his adherents celebrated the rape of 100th girls including at least 20 students of the university in 1998. This led to a series of protests, which resulted in the expulsion of Manik and his followers from the university on 2 August 1999 after the 1999 JU Anti-Rape Movement.

Women harassment on Pohela Boishakh 2015

During the Bengali New Year celebration on the Dhaka University campus, a group of individuals assaulted women at the event, attempting to strip them of their clothing. Witnesses reported that law enforcement officers were present nearby but did not intervene. One witness, Amit, who was also attacked and sustained injuries, stated that

"when we sought help from a few policemen standing 20 yards from the spot, they said that the area was beyond their jurisdiction."

Amit and five fellow activists tried to protect a group of women, aged between 25 and 30, from the attackers. He described the chaos, noting that

"the youths were divided into three groups and each group had 10-12 of them. People everywhere around were blowing vuvuzelas so loudly that nobody could hear the victims' cry for help,"

adding that thousands of people were present in the area, making it difficult to stop the attackers.

Despite CCTV footage identifying the perpetrators, no arrests were made by 2019. The police investigation, lasting eight months, ended without conclusively identifying the suspects. In December 2015, a final report submitted to the court by the Detective Branch indicated that the culprits could not be identified beyond basic facial recognition from the footage.

Speculation arose that political influences may have affected the investigation, as the Awami League, which has alleged controls over law enforcement, is linked to Chhatra League. Some have suggested that the police may have been complicit by not intervening or making arrests. Additionally, it was noted that Chhatra League discouraged its female members from protesting the incident.

Murari Chand College alleged rape incident

On 28 September, reports indicated that members of the Chhatra League had been involved in factional clashes at Murari Chand College, which had led to four deaths in separate incidents since 2018. The report followed an alleged rape incident in which BCL activists were accused of assaulting a woman near the "BCL Men's Room" at MC College. The victim’s husband filed a case against several members of the organisation, and the victim named certain individuals in her court statement. As of 29 September 2020, seven suspects had been arrested, and DNA evidence confirmed their involvement

Rape of tourist in Cox's Bazar

A female tourist, who was a housewife and mother of an eight-month-old child, was allegedly gang-raped by three individuals identified as Joy, Ashiq, and Babu. The attackers reportedly separated her from her husband and children, who were held hostage while the assault took place in a prominent tourist area in Cox’s Bazar. Women’s rights activist Shireen Huq condemned the incident, describing it as "misogyny and banditry at its worst."

Rape attempt in University of Chattogram

A female student at University of Chattogram was reportedly abducted near her dormitory by a group of individuals linked to the Chhatra League and stripped, with an attempted sexual assault following. An investigation by law enforcement later identified the five suspects as activists linked to Rezaul Haque, an associate of Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury. Rezaul Haque was accused of obstructing the student from filing a formal complaint, for which he received a show-cause notice from the organisation. Prior to this incident, two other students had also been sexually assaulted on campus, allegedly by individuals connected to followers of the Deputy Education Minister. These cases were reportedly not pursued by the university, as they involved BCL and individuals tied to the minister.

Sexual exploitation at Eden Mohila College

In September 2022, allegations surfaced in the media accusing the leadership of the Chhatra League at Eden Mohila College of sexually exploiting female students. According to some BCL leaders within the college, the president of the unit, allegedly supported by senior leadership, was accused of blackmailing young students with compromising photographs and videos. The reports claimed that these students were coerced into sexual submission to male party leaders and influential figures.

Murder and terrorism

Killing of Nahid Hossain

Main article: Killing of Nahid Hossain

On 19 April 2022, Nahid Hossain, a courier delivery person, was beaten to death, during a clash between Dhaka College students and shopkeepers in the New Market area of Dhaka. The conflict, which began over a dispute at a local eatery, escalated into violent encounters involving student activists from the Bangladesh Chhatra League, resulting in several injuries. Following the incident, six Dhaka College students were identified as prime suspects, and the trial, which has drawn significant attention, is still ongoing as of mid-2023.

Killing of Tofazzal Hossain

Main article: Killing of Tofazzal Hossain

Tofazzal Hossain was detained by students at the University of Dhaka, accused of stealing six cellphones during a cricket match. He was taken to the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, where he became a victim of extreme physical violence and torture. Among those involved were three leaders and two active members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League. They assaulted Hossain using cricket bats and stumps, inflicting injuries. As Hossain's condition worsened, he was eventually handed over to the proctors and taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Murder of Abrar Fahad

Main article: Murder of Abrar Fahad

On October 6, 2019, Abrar Fahad, a second-year student in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was murdered inside BUET's Sher-e-Bangla Hall by activists of the Chhatra League.

The incident sparked national outrage and led to protests against campus violence. Out of 25 convicts, 20 were given death sentence and 5 others were give life sentence in relation to the murder of Abrar Fahad following a highly publicized trial. An autopsy report later confirmed that Fahad died as a result of severe blunt force trauma.

Murder of Biswajit Das

Main article: Murder of Biswajit Das

Biswajit Das, a 24-year-old tailor in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was murdered on 9 December 2012 by members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League who mistook Das for an opposition supporter. Das was chased and attacked with machetes, iron bars, and hockey sticks. He was taken to Mitford Hospital, where he shortly died of his wounds. Twenty-one BSL activists were found guilty of murder on 18 December 2013. Eight were sentenced to death and thirteen were sentenced to life in prison. Only eight of the twenty-one defendants were in custody at the time of the sentence, with the remaining thirteen tried in absentia.

2018 conflicts

In March 2018, a student at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) was injured by a gunshot during a clash between two factions of the Chhatra League. The conflict reportedly arose between two groups, both led by vice-presidents of the SUST BCL unit, over campus dominance. The altercation escalated when a group of BCL members, led by a BCL leader and his associates, attacked an individual at a nearby restaurant. In response, the individual fired a gun, resulting in the injury of another student.

Main article: 2018 Bangladesh quota reform movement

In July 2018, protests and counter-violence erupted at several universities, particularly Rajshahi University, in response to the quota reform movement, which aimed to change the system allocating 56% of Bangladesh government jobs to specific groups. During a protest on 2 July 2018, Toriqul Islam, a leader of the quota reform movement, along with 15 others, was attacked with sticks, bamboo poles, a dagger, and a hammer. Islam sustained a broken leg in the assault. Footage of the attack, which identified 11 attackers, 10 of whom were reportedly members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BSL), circulated widely on social media. The incident drew significant criticism for the lack of intervention by police and university authorities.

Dhaka road safety protest attacks

Main article: 2018 Bangladesh road safety protests

On 29 July 2018, two students were killed and twelve others were injured when a bus collided with a bus stop in Dhaka. This incident sparked widespread protests demanding improved road safety. During the protests, members of the Chhatra League were accused of involvement in multiple attacks on protesters across the country. On 5 August 2018, several photojournalists were allegedly assaulted by individuals, reportedly BCL members wearing helmets, while law enforcement officers present did not intervene.

Attack on journalists

In its 2020 country report, Reporters Without Borders highlighted incidents during the 2020 Dhaka North City Corporation election and Dhaka South City Corporation election where at least 10 journalists were brutally attacked while attempting to report on alleged widespread electoral rigging. The report attributed these assaults to individuals affiliated with the Chhatra League.

Attacks on anti-Modi protesters

Main article: 2021 Bangladesh Anti-Modi Protest

Sanjit Chandra Das, leader of Dhaka University's Chhatra League unit, declared to "peel off the skin" of protesters if they demonstrated against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh in March 2021. His supporters reportedly attacked students, individuals inside the national mosque compound in Dhaka, and students within a madrasa compound in Brahmanbaria in an effort to suppress the protests. These actions sparked widespread anti-Modi demonstrations across the country, resulting in 10 fatalities as of March 27, 2021.

2024 massacre of protesters

Main article: July massacre

Further information: 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement and 2024 Non-cooperation movement

The joint forces of the Chhatra League and other law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh employed violent measures to suppress the 2024 quota protests and the non-cooperation movement across the country. During the crackdown, more than one thousand protesters lost their lives, and more than 20,000 were injured as a result of the clashes.

Communal violence

Role in 2021 attack on Hindus

Main article: 2021 anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh

Leaders and activists of the Chhatra League were reported to be involved in coordinated attacks on the Hindu community in the districts of Chandpur and Rangpur during the 2021 communal violence in Bangladesh.

In Rangpur, Saikat Mandal, the vice-president of the Chhatra League's philosophy department at Rangpur's Carmichael College, was alleged to have collaborated with a local imam to incite attacks on Hindu villages following a personal conflict with a local Hindu youth, Paritosh Sarkar.

In Chandpur, two Chhatra League activists were reported to have initiated protests over the alleged "demeaning of the Quran", which subsequently led to attacks on local temples and pandals.

See also

• Criticism of Awami League