A number of students from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) are sounding the alarm over what they called a “worrying increase” in activities by the outlawed extremist group, Hizb ut-Tahrir. They reported a series of email campaigns throughout March, targeting hundreds of BUET students with what they described as “hate content.”

During a press briefing on the BUET campus on Saturday, a group identifying themselves as “general students” presented evidence of the emails. The content “decry the government as an obstacle to the establishment of Islamic rule,” and urge students to join efforts to overhaul the educational curriculum.

“These contents have been emailed to accounts of hundreds of current students in several phases throughout March, yet the issue seems to have been overlooked,” one of the students told media.

They highlighted the efficiency with which Hizb ut-Tahrir activists have accessed a vast number of student email accounts, criticizing the university authorities’ apparent inaction. “It is alarming how Hizb ut-Tahrir activists got hold of such a large volume of email accounts, yet authorities remain reluctant to take any action,” they stated.

Accusations have also been made against the Hizb-ut Tahrir and Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, for attempts to exploit student protests against campus politics for their gain. They referred to an earlier incident where some BUET students attended a secretive Islami Chhatra Shibir gathering in Sunamganj’s remote haor area, questioning the protesters’ silence on such matters.

They further referred to intimidation tactics along with criticism to alumni-led commemorative and national day tributes on campus, calling it a “biased stance”.

Engr Tonmoy Ahmed, a former BUET student and coordinator, Awami League Web Team, who survived a brutal attack reportedly by Shibir activists during the war crimes trial, said, “Such extremist and radical groups have long been active on BUET campus, and online space has been used by fanatics for spreading militancy.”