"Thousands of students in the public universities are hostage to a few criminals, but the government remains indifferent," he said at a discussion.

The BDB and the Jatiya Oikya Mancha observed the 'Violence- and terrorism-free campus day' across the country yesterday to mark the third death anniversary of Sabequnnahar Sony, a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, who was killed in a crossfire during a gunfight between the two factions of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

The BDB chief warned that the country would face a grim future if crimes are not eliminated from the educational institutions.

"We cannot let a handful of criminals create a reign of terror on the campus in the name of student politics," he said, adding that everybody should come forward to drive out criminals from educational institutions.

Badruddoza also pointed out that it is time to think seriously whether teachers should involve themselves in mainstream politics directly.

Demanding more facilities for the teachers, the BDB chairman called for increasing budgetary allocation for the education sector to improve the quality of education.

Criticising the BNP-led coalition government, he said the leaders and activists of the opposition parties are being tortured across the country.

Speaking at the meeting, Gono Forum General Secretary Saifuddin Ahmed Manik said, "If we want to make the educational institutions free from violence, we have to first make the country free from bad politics."

He said that a vested quarter is trying to deliberately make the educational institutions dysfunctional.

He also said that only unity among the students could drive out arms and black money from the campus.

BDB leader Firoz M Hasan, Oikya Mancha leader Mofizul Islam Khan Kamal and Sayedur Rahman also spoke.