View from the neighbourhood: Unfree campus

A weekly look at the public conversations shaping ideas beyond borders — in the Subcontinent.

The torture and murder of Abrar Fahad by the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) has shaken the country. (Source: Abrar Fahad/Facebook)

The torture and murder of Abrar Fahad by the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) has shaken the country. Violence by the BCL, the students’ wing of the ruling Awami League, has assumed disturbing proportions, evidenced by the presence of “torture rooms” on campuses. While murders like Fahad’s shine a spotlight on the intolerance for dissent against the government, they have also brought questions about the independence of universities, even at the level of physical space.