Students trample Jinnah, Azam photos

A group of Dhaka University students on Tuesday placed photographs of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ghulam Azam on the floor at the entrances to the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) building and its historical archive and trampled on them in protest against the display of Jinnah’s photographs at the archive.

Students from the university’s 105th batch, from the 2025-26 academic session, organised the protest around noon on Tuesday (September 15).

Shibbir Ahmed, a student of the History Department, alleged that Ducsu was attempting to “question Bangladesh’s independence” by promoting what he described as pro-Pakistan figures.

He said the Ducsu Liberation War Affairs secretary’s election manifesto had pledged to highlight the Liberation War, but a photograph of a “pro-Pakistan” figure had instead been prominently displayed in the Ducsu archive.

“We have placed photographs of Ghulam Azam, Jinnah and other pro-Pakistan figures under our feet, and this protest will continue,” Shibbir said.

He also alleged that attempts were being made to replace photographs of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in political activities with those of Jinnah and Ghulam Azam.

Ash Shams, a student of the English for Speakers of Other Languages Department, said the controversy began earlier when Jinnah was honoured by Inqilab Mancha on the occasion of his death anniversary, while Ducsu Liberation War Affairs Secretary Jhuma shared a related poster on social media.

He alleged that after Jinnah’s photographs were removed from the Ducsu archive, Jhuma again posted on Facebook, claiming that photographs were being removed and the archive was being vandalised.