DUCSU museum displays photographs of Abdul Malek: Who was he, and how was he killed?

Following the renovation of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) museum, three photographs of Muhammad Ali Jinnah have been added, while a standalone photograph of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been removed.

In addition, photographs of Abdul Malek, a former leader of the Islamic Chhatra Sangha, have been incorporated. The archive now features a portrait of him alongside a photograph of his dead body.

The caption beneath Abdul Malek’s photograph, provided by DUCSU, reads, “On his way back after addressing an education seminar, he was severely injured in an attack by opponents and subsequently passed away.”

On 14 September, DUCSU General Secretary SM Farhad stated that the archive presents the history of individuals and students who fell victim to collective violence throughout Dhaka University's history. In his words, “This is a duty towards history.”

Contemporary newspapers documented the clashes, the injuries sustained, and the death of Abdul Malek. However, specific identifying details regarding who inflicted the fatal blow remain unavailable.

According to the website of Islami Chhatra Shibir, Abdul Malek hailed from Bogura and was a meritorious student. In 1966, he gained admission to the Department of Biochemistry at Dhaka University, where he subsequently joined the Islamic Chhatra Sangha. He resided in Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall.

Chhatra Sangha was a student organisation loyal to Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, which opposed the independence of Bangladesh. The notorious Al-Badr Bahini was formed by the leaders and activists of the Islamic Chhatra Sangha. Following independence, religion-based politics was banned, depriving Chhatra Sangha of the opportunity to operate.

When Ziaur Rahman assumed state power, he lifted the ban on religion-based politics. Subsequently, Jamaat-e-Islami reorganised, and Islami Chhatra Shibir emerged. Many assert that Chhatra Shibir is the successor to Chhatra Sangha, though Chhatra Shibir itself has never acknowledged this connection.

In 1969, intense political disagreement arose among student factions regarding the new education policy proposed by the Pakistan government, which had been recommended by Air Marshal M. Nur Khan’s commission.

On 12 August 1969, DUCSU organised an open discussion at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) of Dhaka University, presided over by DUCSU Vice-President (VP) Tofail Ahmed.

In his book History of the Student Movement in Bangladesh (1830–1971), Mohammad Hannan describes the events of that day. According to the book, Samsuddoha, president of Chhatra Union (Matia faction), spoke first, expressing views in favour of a secular education system. Mid-speech, a group of Pakistan Islamic Chhatra Sangha activists entered the hall, created a commotion, and chanted slogans such as “Establish an Islamic education system” and “We do not want secular education.”

Mohammad Hannan writes that, at one point, Chhatra Sangha activists rushed onto the stage, leading both groups to hurl chairs at each other. DUCSU leader Tofail Ahmed repeatedly appealed over the microphone for the protesters to remain calm, but to no avail. Shortly after, a group of Chhatra Sangha activists armed with sticks entered the hall, triggering an unprovoked battle.

Activists from both the East Pakistan Chhatra League and the Chhatra Union joined forces to resist. Following a violent clash, the Chhatra Sangha activists retreated towards the Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan).

Mohammad Hannan notes that Dhaka City Chhatra Sangha President Abdul Malek, Alia Madrasah student Idris Ali, and Chhatra League leader Nasirul Islam Bachchu, among others, were severely injured.

Order was restored when a group of faculty members, led by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, arrived at the scene, allowing the discussion to resume. Student leaders strongly condemned the conspiracy by "hooligans" to disrupt the meeting and called for an oath to purge these enemies of democracy from the university's sacred grounds.

According to a report in Daily Azad on 13 August 1969, several individuals were admitted to hospital following the clash, with Malek’s condition being the most critical. After undergoing treatment for three days, Abdul Malek succumbed to his injuries on 15 August at the age of 22.

The Daily Azad report noted that a large number of students were present at the meeting, which initially proceeded peacefully. Samsuddoha was explaining the draft education policy when several students stood up to protest his remarks. The chairperson urged everyone to maintain order, promising the protesting students an opportunity to speak. However, the atmosphere quickly deteriorated.

The report added that a few students mounted the stage, vandalising tables and chairs. This escalated into chair-throwing and chaos. Around half an hour later, the two factions moved outside the hall, where violence intensified. Individuals were struck with chairs and broken timber, resulting in multiple casualties. The ensuing chases spread as far as the Race Course Ground.

Daily Azad did not identify the specific individuals responsible for striking Abdul Malek.

Conversely, the Chhatra Shibir website states that Abdul Malek was severely injured in an attack by activists of leftist student organisations after speaking in favour of an Islamic education system at a seminar held at Dhaka University. He subsequently passed away on 15 August while under treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

In History of the Student Movement in Bangladesh (1830–1971), Mohammad Hannan notes that the Islamic Chhatra Sangha implicitly acknowledged the commotion they caused through their official statement. Motiur Rahman Nizami, the provincial president of the Islamic Chhatra Sangha, stated that 10 Chhatra Sangha activists were injured in an attack by "Chhatra Union and socialist hooligans" after demanding the right to participate in the discussion on the draft education policy. He added that activists were protesting objectionable remarks made by a speaker regarding Islam.

On 17 August 1969, six prominent student leaders of East Pakistan—Mostafa Jamal Haider and Mahbubullah (Chhatra Union-Menon), Samsuddoha and Nurul Islam (Chhatra Union-Matia), and Tofail Ahmed and ASM Abdur Rob (Chhatra League-Tofail)—issued a joint statement expressing condolences over Abdul Malek’s death. They asserted that Malek’s tragic end occurred after a specific quarter incited a group of students to create disorder.

DUCSU also issued a formal statement expressing grief.

The book further notes that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, then president of the Awami League, issued a message of condolence and that the Awami League organised a memorial meeting at its party office.

Understanding the circumstances of Abdul Malek’s death requires reviewing the heated political climate of 1969.

At the time, resistance against Ayub Khan's regime in Pakistan was intensifying. In East Pakistan, the 11-point movement led by students alongside political agitation escalated into a mass uprising. Following Ayub Khan’s resignation on 25 March, Army Chief General Yahya Khan assumed the presidency and reinstated martial law.

Concurrently, the Pakistan government initiated educational reforms, appointing Air Marshal Nur Khan to formulate a new policy. In July 1969, a proposal titled Proposals for a New Educational Policy was released for public feedback.

A revised policy was approved by the Cabinet of Pakistan in March 1970; however, the outbreak of the War of Liberation in 1971 prevented its implementation in East Pakistan.

The Nur Khan Commission proposals included steps to expand educational access, reduce drop-out rates, promote scientific and technical education, enhance teacher training, foster university research, and grant institutional autonomy.

However, the section addressing the ideological foundation of education triggered the sharpest political backlash.

The proposal recommended aligning the Pakistani education system with Islamic concepts and principles, emphasising shared cultural values and allegiance to Pakistan. It proposed making “Islamiyat” or “Deeniyat” compulsory for Muslim students up to Class-X, while offering religious instruction tailored to non-Muslim students.

These points sparked fierce debate within student politics in East Pakistan.

Student organisations held divergent views on the proposals. While the Islamic Chhatra Sangha and Islamic political groups endorsed incorporating Islamic values into education—arguing that in a Muslim-majority state, education should build moral character and religious values alongside professional skills—other factions strongly dissented.

The East Pakistan Chhatra League, various factions of the Chhatra Union, and progressive leftist student groups opposed the ideological stance. They advocated for a people-oriented, science-based education system, mother-tongue instruction, free compulsory primary education, and institutional autonomy.

They feared that anchoring education to Pakistani state ideology and religious identity would further marginalise Bengali language, culture, and national identity.

Consequently, the debate transcended educational reform, becoming intertwined with questions of religion, language, national identity, state doctrine, and Bengali political rights.

It was amidst these tensions that DUCSU organised the forum on 12 August 1969.

Following his death, the Islamic Chhatra Sangha commemorated Abdul Malek as a martyr for the Islamic education movement. Subsequently, Islamic Chhatra Shibir incorporated his memory into its political and ideological lineage, observing 15 August as ‘Islamic Education Day’.

The inclusion of Abdul Malek’s photograph in the DUCSU archive has resurfaced these historic disputes.

The DUCSU museum’s renovation involved changes to the display of historical movements. Alongside the removal of specific portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, three photographs of Muhammad Ali Jinnah were added, including one detailing his address at the Dhaka Racecourse Ground on 21 March 1948.

DUCSU leaders involved in the renovation stated that Jinnah’s photographs were not included to glorify him, but rather to document events connected to the history of Dhaka University and Bangladesh.

However, the Dhaka University administration rejected this stance, asserting that displaying portraits of Jinnah and former Chhatra Sangha leader Abdul Malek conflicts with the history of the Language Movement and Bangladesh’s independence. The administration announced that disciplinary action would be taken against those responsible.

In the meantime, on 14 September, a student tore down the three photographs of Jinnah in protest. The university administration has since established a five-member committee to investigate the incident.