Tense Relations
The arrest of a prominent Hindu monk in Bangladesh has sparked a diplomatic tussle with India, highlighting a recurring point of contention in the bilateral relationship: the condition of minorities in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that she would soon order law-enforcement agencies to start a nationwide crackdown on illicit activity in universities and other educational institutions.
The Prime Minister, however, said that she was against banning student politics altogether, adding that the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), where a student Abrar Fahad was killed recently, may opt to separately enforce the ban, bdnews24 reported on Wednesday.
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Her comments came at a Ganabhaban press conference on Wednesday amidst widespread protests and criticism over the killing of Abrar allegedly by leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
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“Beating somebody to death is extremely inhumane. I can feel the pain of the parents who lost their child,” she said.
Hasina also promised no political interference in the trial of the Abrar murder suspects.
According to media reports, “drunken BCL activists” bludgeoned Abrar with cricket stumps for six and a half hours on Sunday night. A forensic doctor said he died from excessive bleeding, citing internal injuries.
Police have arrested 13 BUET students, including the BCL unit’s general secretary Mehedy Hasan Russell, over Abrar’s murder. BCL has expelled 11.
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