Eden College students stage late night protest against politics revival attempts

General students of Eden Mohila College took to the street in front of the campus late into Saturday, pledging to resist reported attempts to revive student politics there.

Around 11pm at night, students from an under-construction dormitory also joined the protest as they tried to break the locks of multiple gates on campus, and managed to break through the front gate. They also set fire to political campaign materials near the front gate.

The students demanded a permanent end to all kinds of political influences and attempts to revive political agendas on campus.

Since evening, tensions were brewing after some unidentified people spray painted on the front gate to obscure the writing: “Student Politics Free Campus.”

The writing was inscribed during or shortly after the July-August 2024 student-led movement that was waged against the authoritarian Awami League government and the violent student politics it supported.

They later spray painted a new message -- "Completely Politics Free Campus" -- in bold black colour on the front gate.

Political activities were a common feature in public higher educational institutions in the country, often featuring violence against general students, until the July Uprising 2024, when students strongly pushed back, leading to official or unofficial ban on politics in numerous campuses.