Chhatra League yesterday expelled 17 leaders and activists of its Eden Mohila College unit for their alleged involvement in anti-disciplinary activities.
Among the 17 are students who had brought some serious allegations against unit President Tamanna Jasmine Riva and General Secretary Razia Sultana, but the BCL central committee did not take any step to investigate those.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
The allegations include blackmailing students into doing unethical activities, hall seat trade, extortion, and torture.
Riva on August 23 allegedly tortured two students after confining them to a room at a dormitory for six and a half hours and threatened them that "a video of stripping them would be recorded and released online" for allegedly circulating an audio clip.
In that audio clip, the BCL leader was heard using abusive words and threatening some students of a hall for not attending a BCL programme. Riva later offered apology after the audio clip went viral on social media.
The central unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) didn't issue any show cause notice to Riva nor did they form any probe body to investigate into the allegations.
Yesterday, 12 of the expelled BCL leaders and activists went to Awami League president's Dhanmondi political office to observe a hunger strike protesting their expulsion. But they could not observe the strike due to "huge pressure" on them.
"We came here to observe a hunger strike, but we are leaving now. We will not go on strike. We are under huge pressure. We will not talk to the media. Don't ask us any more questions," Samia Akhter Boishakhi, who was the organising secretary of Eden College BCL, told The Daily Star.
Speaking at a press conference on the college premises yesterday, expelled vice-president Susmita Baroi alleged the BCL central leadership did not take any step against Riva and Razia as they were close aides to the president and general secretary of the student front.
"Though there are some serious allegations against them including extortion, seat trading, and torturing students, Chhatra League central committee did not take any action. Instead, they expelled us for speaking against them," she added.
The expulsion of the 17 irked a section of BCL leaders as its charter does not allow for expulsion of any member without serving show-cause notice to the member concerned and also without any investigation.
"The press release regarding the expulsion says the decision was taken upon discussion among the members of the Chhatra League central executive members. But being a member of the central committee, I knew nothing about the decision. The central committee has to hold a meeting of central executive committee members after getting the probe report and take a decision based on the majority opinion," a BCL vice-president told The Daily Star wishing not to be named.
He said such a decision contradicts the organisation's charter.
