New student body launched amid clashes
DU Correspondent :
A new student organisation, titled ‘Bangladesh Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangsad’, has been launched, led by a group of coordinators from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ASM), amidst protests and clashes between students of private universities and Dhaka University.
Abu Baker Majumder has been appointed as the central convener of the organisation, with Touhid Mohammad Siam named as senior joint convener, Zahid Ahsan as member secretary, Rifat Rashid as senior member secretary, Tahmid Al Muddassir Chowdhury as chief organiser, and Ashrefa Khatun as spokesperson.
However, five out of the six members of the committee are from Dhaka University. Abu Baker, a student from the 2019-20 academic session, was one of the key coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and served as member secretary of the Democratic Student Alliance. Zahid, a student from the 2018-19 academic session, was also a coordinator of ASM and held the position of office secretary of the DU Unite Chhatra Odhikar Parishad. Additionally, Rifat Rashid, Tahmid Al Muddassir, and Ashrefa Khatun are also students of Dhaka University, while Touhid Mohammad Siam is a student at Jahangirnagar University.
The principles of the organisation were announced as education, unity, and freedom.
Following the announcement of the committee, clashes broke out at various locations on the Dhaka University campus, including Madhur Canteen, beside the Arts Building, Mall Chattar, and the DU Central Library areas, over posts in the new organisation. Several students were injured in the clashes. Among the injured were DU student Akibul Hossain, Riaz Uddin from the Islamic History and Culture Department, private university student Suhas Ali Mishu, and other students from both sides. They received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Dhaka University Medical Centre.
During the press briefing, a group of private university students raised slogans such as “We don’t accept any committee without private university students” and “Break the syndicate committee,” protesting against the involvement of only Dhaka University students. The private university students argued that the absence of any members from private universities was a significant form of discrimination, which they would not tolerate under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
The Dhaka University committee also includes Abdul Kader as convener, Limon Mahmud Hasan as senior joint convener, Mohir Alam as member secretary, Al Amin Sarkar as senior member secretary, Hasib Al Islam as chief organiser, and Rafia Rehnuma Hridi as spokesperson.
“Today, our central and Dhaka University committees have been announced. The members of these committees were decided based on the opinions of students from all universities, districts, and upazilas across the country.
We have also met with students from private universities and madrassas several times regarding this issue. However, on the day of the announcement, some groups identifying themselves as private university students staged a protest, claiming they were not evaluated,” stated DU student and coordinator Rezwan Hasan Rifat in response to the clashes.
“We have not yet announced the full committee, so how can they make such claims now? They have not been evaluated, and if there were any complaints, they could have been addressed through discussion. But some individuals, being overly enthusiastic, have turned the issue into a conflict. We have doubts about this,” added Rezwan.
Meanwhile, Ali Ahsan Junaid and Rafe Salman Rifat, Joint Convener and Joint Member Secretary of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, have withdrawn from the new student-led political party set to be launched on 28th February.
The two leaders made their announcement via Facebook posts on Tuesday, 26th February. Both Junaid and Rifat are currently visiting China at the invitation of the Communist Party of China. Their visit has raised objections within the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, prompting the organisation to issue a statement on Monday regarding the matter.