Dhaka University unit Shibir president makes revelation, draws reactions

Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, runs a committee at Dhaka University and Shadik Kayem is its president, and finally, the matter becomes public.

Shadik made a speech revealing his identity after attending an event to exchange views with the administration of the Dhaka University on Saturday. After that, his revelation drew various reactions on the social media platform Facebook.

Some were surprised as they knew him personally but were unaware of his political identity. Some expressed concerns over the open politics of Shibir in Dhaka University.

Speaking to leaders of several student organisations, it has been learned that there had been a consensus in 1990 at the Dhaka University Poribesh Parishad, the official platform of student organisations active on the campus for liaising with the university administration, that Shibir and Jatiya Party’s student wing Jatiya Chatra Samaj would not be allowed to do politics on the campus.

The Awami League was ousted by the student-people's uprising on 5 August. The party’s student wing Chattra League had controlled the Dhaka University campus during their 15-year rule. Chhatra League did not let Shibir operate on campus openly. They even beat many students on suspicion of involvement in Shibir and forced them to leave the halls. Chhatra League, however, was driven out of the campus during the movement for reform to the quota system in government jobs in July.

Shibir’s Dhaka University unit president Shadik attended the first phase of discussion with the university administration. Leaders of Ganatantrik Chhatra Council and Biplabi Chhatra-Jubo Andolon also joined the session.

At the event, Shibir demanded reform to student politics and the holding of elections to Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) instead of banning student politics on the campus.

After the event, Shadik told Prothom Alo it is not a wise decision to ban student politics. They told the administration to hold dialogue with all student organisations where all but the friends of fascists would come.

Saying that Shibir wants to do politics of meritocracy, he stated, “Everyone will practice their politics; everyone will enjoy the freedom of expression; nothing will be forced on anyone, and those are our demands.”

Chhatra League and student organisations of the political parties who were in the Awami League-led 14-party alliance are the friends of fascists, he said adding that those organisations have no right to do politics.

Shadik is a student of political science in the 2016-17 academic session. He completed his post-graduation and stayed at Masterda Surja Sen Hall. He was president and general secretary of Shibir’s Surja Sen Hall unit before becoming the president of the Dhaka University unit.

Rezaul Islam, another leader of Shibir’s Dhaka University unit, also participated in the event along with Shadik. However, details of Rezaul could not be learned. As of Sunday, the identity of no other leader of Shibir’s Dhaka University unit was revealed.

Regarding the committee, Shadik told Prothom Alo on Sunday that the committee of Chhatra Shibir’s Dhaka University unit will be revealed soon, and the fascist government forced them to do politics underground over the past 15 years.

Replying to a query on several people’s remarks on Shibir doling politics under different banners at Dhaka University and control halls after the removal of Chhatra League, Shadik said most of the Shibir supporters stay outside the halls and several regular students might be in dormitories. It is not correct that Shibir controls everything secretly, he added.

Saturday’s meeting at Dhaka University was not called under the banner of the Paribesh Parishad. Leaders of several left-leaning student bodies raised questions on the participation of two Shibir leaders at the event.

At the meeting, Chhatra Union’s Dhaka University unit general secretary Main Ahmed asked the vice chancellor, “How did you find him (Shibir’s Dhaka University unit president)?”

Vice-chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan responded nothing to his query, Main Ahmed told Prothom Alo. Leaders of the Ganatantrik Chhatra Council, and the Samajtantrik Chhatra Front (BSD) also raised questions on the participation of Shibir leaders at the event.

Khairul Kabir Khokon, currently a leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was one of the leaders of Sarbadaliya Chhatra Okya (All Party Student Unity) and general secretary of DUCSU when the politics of Jatiya Chhatra Samaj and Islami Chhatra Shibir was banned at the Dhaka University’s Paribesh Parishad in 1990.

He told Prothom Alo on Sunday evening that a consensus came among all student organisations against Jatiya Chhatra Samaj due to becoming the associate of the autocrat and Chhatra Shibir due to terror activities. The decision was that these two organisations would not operate any political activities on the Dhaka University campus.

Khairul Kabir Khokon said, “We want to keep faith in today’s student organisations about how they will deal with Shibir and Chhatra Samaj. We are saying nothing from party or organizationally on this matter.”

Clashes had happened between Shibir and other student bodies including Chhatra League, Chhatra Dal and left-leaning student bodies over the control of various public universities including Dhaka University and important colleges over the last three and a half decades.

Awami League came to power winning the parliamentary election in 2008. Top leaders of Jamaat were tried on charges of crimes against humanity, and death penalties of several of them were also executed.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami waged a simultaneous movement at various times over the past 15 years. However, BNP maintains a distance from Jamaat following the ouster of the Awami League government by student-people's mass uprising. In an interview with The Daily Star on 30 August, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said their alliance with Jamaat had been dysfunctional much earlier.

The Students Against Discrimination still has an influence on the Dhaka University campus. Chhatra Dal has organising power. Left student organisations are also active. Students Against Discrimination maintains a position on student politics that they want no politics of any student organisations affiliated with a party on the campus.

Various student organisations have objections to the open politics of Shibir on the Dhaka University campus. However, leaders disagree to speak up openly about this issue now.

Wishing anonymity, a senior leader of Chhatra Dal told Prothom Alo Shibir must clarify its position on the Liberation War if it wants to do politics openly at Dhaka University. After that, active student organisations and other stakeholders in Dhaka University will decide on it.

*This report appeared in the online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna