No one will be forced to join political programmes: JCD president
Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) central president Rakibul Islam has urged students not to skip classes or examinations to attend political programmes.
He said there would be no more coercive student politics on any campus in the country and that no one would be forced to participate in any political programme.
Rakibul Islam made the remarks at a reception for new students organised by the Jagannath University unit of Chhatra Dal on Wednesday.
Addressing the newly admitted students, the Chhatra Dal president said, “Student politics must never force ordinary students to participate in any programme. There will never again be a politics of illegal occupation or a politics of taking over residential rooms in Bangladesh.”
Rakibul Islam advised the students to focus on their studies and career development. He said they had secured admission to the university after competing with hundreds of thousands of other students and therefore should make the most of every moment rather than waste their time.
He urged them not to view the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) or government jobs as the only career options, but to explore employment opportunities in the private sector, IT, the ready-made garment industry and other fields.
Referring to Chhatra Dal’s past movements, Rakibul Islam said the organisation’s leaders and activists had protested at various educational institutions across the country, including Dhaka University and Jagannath University, over the past several years to secure the rights of ordinary students and protect Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty.
Many leaders and activists had been subjected to enforced disappearance and torture in the process, while many had seen their academic careers come to an end, he recalled.
The Chhatra Dal president also praised the role played by Jagannath University students in the July mass uprising.
The event was chaired by Mehedi Hasan, convener of the Jagannath University unit Chhatra Dal, and moderated by its member secretary Shamsul Arifin. Education minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan was the chief guest.
Special guests included former member of parliament for Madaripur-3 Anisur Rahman Talukdar, Jagannath University Vice-Chancellor Professor Md Rais Uddin, Treasurer Professor Sabina Sharmin, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Dhaka University Professor Md Mufazzal Hossain, and Professor Shamima Sultana of the Department of Bangla at Jahangirnagar University.
Also speaking at the event were former Jagannath University Chhatra Dal convener Golam Mawla, central Chhatra Dal vice-president Kazi Ziauddin Baset, and joint conveners of the Jagannath University unit Jafar Ahmed, Sumon Sardar and Mostafizur Rahman, among others.