BCL accuses ‘Leftist’ teachers of arms stockpiles at Chittagong colleges

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) claims Left-leaning teachers are behind the ‘stockpiling’ of firearms at the two colleges in Chittagong that are ‘controlled’ by Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The ruling Awami League’s student front on Friday alleged the ‘leftist’ teachers and department heads had colluded to turn Chittagong College and Mohsin College an ‘armoury for Shibir’.

Police arrested 72 Shibir activists after raiding the colleges on Wednesday and seized firearms wrapped in Shibir’s banners from a pit.

“The teachers and department heads of both the colleges are supporters of Leftist ideologies,” BCL President HM Bodiuzzaman Shohag alleged at a press conference at Dhaka University.

“We have learnt that they were directly involved in assisting the Jamaat-Shibir cadres in building this armoury,” he claimed without naming anyone.

The two colleges have been known to be strongholds of Shibir since the mid-80s. Shibir’s parent organisation, Jamaat-e-Islami, is said to have a strong influence over the locality.

Shohag, in a prepared speech, demanded replacing these teachers with ‘progressive thinking’ ones.

“There are many such weapons reserves at other universities including Chittagong and Rajshahi... We can provide a list to the education ministry and the administration if they want.”

He claimed Shibir and a vested quarter were preventing BCL activists from staying on the Haji Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University campus.

“The university’s vice chancellor himself is leading the vested quarter,” Shohag alleged.

“We call for necessary steps against such quarters,” he demanded.