Bangladesh Chhatra League

Bangladesh Chhatra League
বাংলাদেশ ছাত্রলীগ
PresidentSaddam Hussain[1]
Secretary GeneralSheikh Wali Asif Enan[1]
Founded4 January 1948; 76 years ago (1948-01-04)
Preceded byEast Pakistan Muslim Students' League
Dissolved23 October 2024; 18 days ago (2024-10-23) (banned)
Headquarters23, Bangabandhu Avenue, Gulistan, Dhaka
IdeologyMujibism, Bengali nationalism
Coloursred
Mother partyBangladesh Awami League
Websitebsl.org.bd

Bangladesh Chhatra League (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ ছাত্রলীগ, Bengali pronunciation: [tʃʰatroliɡ]; lit. 'Bangladesh Students League'); abbr. BSL/BCL), formerly known as the East Pakistan Student League, simply called the Chhatra League, is the student wing of the political party, Bangladesh Awami League, founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948.[2] The organisation is banned and designated as a terrorist organisation by the Interim Government of Bangladesh.[3]

BCL has been repeatedly accused of committing mass violence including torture, extortion, forced prostitution, killings to instill fear.[4][5][6][7] [8][9][10] At least 33 people were killed and 1,500 were 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.[7]

A BSL leader was arrested for links with the banned terrorist group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh in a militant hunt after the July 2016 Dhaka attack.[11] The leaders and activists of BSL were also found involved in the 2021 Bangladesh communal violence.[12]

Bangladesh Chhatra League is accused of running a 'forced prostitution' racket by forcing the girls of Eden Mohila College unit by blackmailing them.[13]

Following the attacks on student protesters in 2018, a petition was started by general people of Bangladesh to "Enlist Bangladesh Chhatra League (BSL/BCL) as a Terrorist Organization" at Change.org.[14][15] In 2019, Online news portal Dhaka Tribune labelled the organization as "the brand of shame".[16] On 26 May 2022, after a series of attack on dissident student groups, eight left-wing student organizations termed Bangladesh Chhatra League a 'terrorist organization'.[17] The organisation was banned by the Government of Bangladesh on 23 October 2024 under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009, following their involvement in the July massacre.[18][19][3]

  1. ^ a b "Saddam Hussain new president, Sheikh Enan gen secy of Chhatra League". Dhaka Tribune. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh students attacked during Dhaka protest". BBC News. 4 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Govt bans Chhatra League". Prothom Alo. 23 October 2024.
  4. ^ Rebecca Ratcliffe; Redwan Ahmed (10 October 2019). "Father demands justice after student beaten to death in Bangladesh". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Killing of Bangladesh student triggers protests". BBC News. 8 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh Student Killing Sparks University Protests". Voice of America. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Terror Rising". The Daily Star. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  8. ^ Rebecca Ratcliffe; Redwan Ahmed (10 October 2019). "Father demands justice after student beaten to death in Bangladesh". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Killing of Bangladesh student triggers protests". BBC News. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Bangladesh Student Killing Sparks University Protests". Voice of America. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Chhatra League leader arrested for militant links". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Pirganj Communal Violence: BCL man sparked the blaze". The Daily Star. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Women leaders seek probe into allegations". New Age. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Awami League / Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL)". Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  15. ^ "Bloody Sunday in Bangladesh". Democracy News. 5 August 2018.
  16. ^ "The brand of shame that is Chhatra League". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Student orgs for holding meeting at DU for peaceful atmosphere on campus". The Daily Star. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ban was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Govt bans Chhatra League: Listed Chhatra League as a terrorist organization". Dhaka Tribune. 23 October 2024.