JCD-Shibir clashes on as pact makes no impact

Over 70 activists of JCD, student front of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and ICS, backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami, were injured last week in three clashes in Dhaka, Rangpur and Khulna stemming apparently from turf war at educational institutions.

The BNP and Jamaat are the two key constituents of the four-party alliance that took office winning the October, 2001 ballot.

Since December 2001, at least two activists of the JCD and ICS, one from each organisation, have been killed and about 200 injured in such clashes.

After a spate of violence, top leaders of both student organisations at a meeting at the ICS office in Dhaka on October 26 agreed 'not to fight any more'.

But recent clashes in which at least 50 were injured at Rangpur Medical College on November 11, 10 at Alia Madrassah in Dhaka and 21 at Khulna MM City College on November 9 shattered the peace.

Shahabuddin Laltu, president of the JCD, pegged the clashes between his front and ICS as misunderstanding between local-level leaders and said: "We have asked leaders of respective educational institutions to resolve the disputes through discussions."

Mujibur Rahman Manju, president of the ICS, said: "Although we had no formal talks with the JCD leaders after recent clashes, we brought the violence to the notice of the prime minister at an iftar party hosted by the Jamaat on Tuesday."

Manju believes the clashes are part of a conspiracy by a section to destroy the four-party alliance.

"The prime minister asked us to mend the discord with the JCD through discussions and we will sit across tables after Ramadan."

The first major gunfight between the JCD and ICS took place at Kushtia Polytechnic Institute on October 6, leaving Shafiqur Rahman, an ICS activist, dead and 25 others injured. Authorities were forced to close the institute indefinitely in the wake of the violence.

Armed activists of the ICS allegedly killed Hamid Ahmed Khan Doyel, an activist of the JCD, and injured 10 others on Madan Mohan College premises in Sylhet on September 9, 2002.

Ten activists were injured in a clash at Chittagong Polytechnic Institute on September 3 and another 50 in a series of clashes at Rajshahi University on March 27.

On December 31, 2001, eight were injured in a gunfight at Sylhet Government College.

A senior JCD leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said although there were 'good relations' at the top level between the two student organisations, most of the JCD men were unhappy with ICS's presence at educational institutions.

"We have no choice but to maintain friendly ties with our former foe because of BNP's alliance with the Jamaat," he said.

After the last general elections, the JCD and ICS took over the educational institutions as Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Bangladesh Awami League which was voted out in the polls, vacated their bases.