An activist of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has been expelled for his involvement in an attack on left students’ protest that left at least 15 injured in Chattogram on May 28.
The expelled individual is Jamaat activist Akash Chowdhury, said a press release signed by Jamaat’s Chattogram metropolitan city unit assistant secretary Muhammad Ullah on Friday.
The assistant secretary stated that the involved Akash had been expelled for violating the party’s discipline.
‘Jamaat-e-Islami will not bear any responsibility for the incident (attack on left students’ protest in front of Chattogram Press Club). The responsibility for the undesirable incident that day lies solely with the responsible persons present there,’ said Muhammad Ullah, claiming that Jamaat had no connection with the incident as it was not aware of the programmes and did not direct any activists to go there.
‘We strongly condemn such an incident,’ said the assistant secretary.
The expel came days after a video showing a youth kicking a female leader of the Democratic Students’ Alliance, a combine of seven left student organisations, during the attack went viral on social media on May 28.
On that day, left student leaders and activists were staging a demonstration rejecting the Supreme Court’s May 27 verdict acquitting Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam of 1971 war crimes charges and the attack was carried out under the banner of Anti-Shahbagh Unity.
Earlier on May 27, a demonstration of the Democratic Students’ Alliance against Azharul’s acquittal also came under attack in Rajshahi University allegedly by the same banner.
Since the day of the acquittal, left student organisations have been staging protest demonstrations against the acquittal and the attacks on the protesters.
They also demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment for the attackers.