Govt bans Chhatra League
The interim government has banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of Awami League under Anti-Terrorism Act 2009. The home ministry issued a gazette notification in this regard on Wednesday, declaring it as a terrorist organization.
According to the gazette notification, since Bangladesh's independence and especially during the last 15 years of authoritarian rule, Chhatra League were involved in various public safety-threatening activities. These include murder, torture, dormitory-based harassment, dormitory seat trading, tender manipulation, rape, and sexual harassment. Evidence of these activities were widely published by the country's leading media outlets and in some cases, Chhatra League members were convicted of terrorism-related crimes in court.
On July 15, during the ongoing anti-discrimination student movement, Chhatra League leaders and activists launched violent, armed attacks on protesting students and the general public, killing hundreds of innocent students and endangering many others, said the notification. The gazette notification is effective immediately.
