NEW DELHI: The Bangladesh government on Wednesday banned the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), student wing of Sheikh Hasina‘s Awami League, under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009.
In a notification released by the home ministry, the BCL was declared a terrorist organisation, citing its involvement in activities that have threatened public safety for years. These activities include murder, torture, campus-related oppression, seat trading in student dormitories, tender manipulation, rape, and sexual harassment.Documentary evidence of these actions has been widely reported in major media outlets, and the organisation’s involvement in several terrorist incidents has been proven in court.
The ban comes just hours after the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee held a press conference, giving the government a deadline until Thursday to take action against the BCL. The notification indicates that the government acted before the deadline was reached.
According to the home ministry, since the launch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement on 15 July, BCL leaders and activists have violently attacked protesting students and the general public, leading to the deaths of hundreds and putting many lives at risk.
The ministry also pointed to evidence suggesting that even after the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August, BCL members have continued engaging in conspiratorial, destructive, and provocative activities against the state, including various acts of terrorism.
The government’s decision to ban the Bangladesh Chhatra League is now in effect, with the organisation officially listed as a prohibited entity under Schedule 2 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.