Ammar tears down banner put up by teacher, Zia Parishad leader congratulating Tarique Rahman

Rajshahi University Central Students Union (RUCSU) general secretary Salahuddin Ammar tore down a banner stretched by a university teacher and president of Rajshahi district Jatiya Zia Parishad following Tarique Rahman’s election as BNP chairman.

Ammar tore down the banner today, Sunday, around noon in front of the Shaheed Buddhijibi Memorial Square on Paris Road. Earlier, at around 11:30 am, Ammar had posted on his Facebook that he had given Muhammad Nesar Uddin Talukdar, president of the district Zia Parishad and teacher of the university’s Arabic language department, a deadline to remove the banner before 2:00 pm.

Sharing a video of the banner being removed, Salahuddin Ammar wrote on Facebook, “I drew the teacher’s attention and asked him to remove the banner by two o’clock. He did not. So, as a student, I removed it myself. Whenever I see any partisan banners on campus, I will oppose the teachers. Teacher politics is ruining education, turning individuals into political brokers.”

Ammar further wrote in his post, ‘The same message applies to another party, Jamaat-e-Islami, but so far they have neither issued a statement nor held any rallies on campus. I have yet to see their party identity here. You are free to do politics, but outside the campus.”

Earlier in the morning, explaining the reason for removing the banner, Salahuddin Ammar wrote, “According to Section 55(2) of the 1973 ordinance (what is prohibited by law and administrative rules): 1. Conducting party politics or campaigning within the university campus. 2. Using a teachers’ association as a political party.”

In the same post, giving a timeline for the banner removal, Ammar wrote, “I saw a banner from the president of Zia Parishad. I had already written that they are part-time teachers, full-time politicians, not educators. As an ordinary student on campus, I will not allow party campaigning under the ordinance, so the Zia Parishad should remove this banner by 2:00 pm. If not, I will remove it myself. If you wish to take a stand against this, you are welcome to do so.”

Muhammad Nesar Uddin, president of Rajshahi district Zia Parishad and RU teacher, told Prothom Alo, “According to our constitution, Zia Parishad is a non-political organisation. This is his (Ammar’s) ignorance. Tearing down a banner unilaterally is audacious. I cannot realise how a university student could do this. I strongly protest and reject his actions with contempt.”