The phenomenon of extremism that is on the rise in the country requires a coordinated effort of all sections of society to see an end of this peril. And in the aftermath of the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery and the subsequent attack in Kishoreganj, all concerned must come together to fight this scourge in a manner coordinated by one central authority. Surprisingly, the student wing of the ruling party has taken it upon itself to form anti-terrorism awareness committees in all the more than 90 private universities of the country. We wonder why private universities should be been singled out just because a few misguided youths from some of these have gone astray. And the discipline of the student wing of the ruling party leaves much to be desired.
This is much too sensitive a matter to be left also to the student organisation of any political party because unless the anti-terror efforts are coordinated centrally the government initiative may go awry. We are afraid the scheme may become one of witch-hunting where personal scores may be settled in the name of anti-terror awareness programme. And there is also a very good possibility that the move will lead to the politicisation of private universities, a phenomenon that has till date not been able to affect this sector.
The battle against terrorism is a national issue. It falls upon the government agencies to tackle the extremist elements by taking all the stakeholders on board. Private university authorities can and will cooperate with the law to the fullest extent. But the Chhatra League initiative, if implemented, may ultimately undermine the fight against terror and not assist it.
