Bangladesh's Student Politics in Turmoil: The Fall of BCL

Post-ousting of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Chhatra League faces crackdown by interim government. Once mighty, 50,000 BCL affiliates struggle for education amidst violence and arrests. BCL's dominance on campuses replaced by rivals, as government investigates past misconduct blaming it for atrocities committed.

The Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), a student wing of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, now finds itself on the defensive after dominating Bangladeshi campuses for over 15 years. This shift follows the ousting of Hasina in August amid student protests, and subsequent actions by the country's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

On October 23, Yunus's government officially banned the BCL, citing its history of misconduct, including violence and resource exploitation. This move has left at least 50,000 BCL associates, as reported by Al Jazeera, in a state of uncertainty regarding their educational futures, with many resorting to hiding amidst increasing threats.

The upheaval started in July when students began protesting a controversial quota system in government jobs seen as favoritistic, which subsequently evolved into a wider call against Hasina's regime, labeled as "autocratic" by critics. Now, former BCL leaders face harsh repercussions, including arrests and violent reprisals, as their political dominance wanes under Yunus's crackdown.

(With inputs from agencies.)