JCD, BCL deadlocked over DU strike

The Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the main opposition party Awami League, enforced the indefinite strike to protest Thursday's overnight attacks on its leaders and activists by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) men.

The BCL leaders told the university authorities by phone that they would consider ending the strike after their activists were allowed back to the campus and rehabilitated to their halls.

"We want to gather on the cam pus first and meet the authorities to reach a decision on our demands and withdrawal of the strike," said a central BCL leader.

On the other hand, leaders of the JCD, the student front of ruling BNP, vowed to resist BCL activists until they withdrew the strike. "The BCL men have to end the strike before they enter the campus," a JCD leader said.

DU Vice-chancellor Professor SMA Faiz, mediating between the conflicting groups, said, "I believe an immediate dialogue with the BCL and JCD would end the deadlock."

About the BCL demand for rehabilitation of its ousted men, Professor Faiz said provosts prepared to get their students back to their halls.

The JCD activists chased a group of BCL men as they continued barring their rivals from entering the campus on the third day of the strike yesterday that put a brake on academic activities of the DU.

The left-leaning Bangladesh Chhatra Union submitted a memorandum to the DU vice-chancellor, demanding an end to the stalemate.

The Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) will submit another memorandum to the vice-chancellor today and organise a sit-in in front of his office on August 9. At a press conference at Madhu's Canteen, the PSA leaders also demanded that the government restores a congenial atmosphere to the campus.

PSA leaders Luna Noor, Sabbah Ali Khan Collins, Rahman Mizan, Abu Sufian, Mosharraf Hossain, Moniruddin Pappu and Sheikh Faruk were present at the press conference.

The DU authorities yesterday requested all concerned to submit statements on Thursday's untoward incident to Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman, member secretary of the DU fact-finding committee, by August 10.