The student organisation that is going to be floated by former coordinators of Students Against Discrimination (SAD) is likely to be named ‘Biplobi Chhatra Shakti’.
Former leaders of ‘Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti’, a disbanded platform, are going to take the helm of the new student organisation. Also, it will consist of former leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League who rescinded their posts in support of July movement and the students who were forced to participate in programmes of BCL, now banned student wing of Awami League.
The new student organisation will also consist of those who had past involvement with Islami Chhatra Shibir. But anyone holding the post of Shibir would not join the new organisation.
These have been revealed in discussion with four initiators of the upcoming student organisation.
During the July movement, the majority of the faces of SAD were leaders of Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti. Many leaders of Dhaka University hall units of BCL took part in the first phase of the quota reform movement between 1 and 15 July.
Some of them even resigned from their posts in BCL. Leaders and activists of Shibir also joined the quota reform movement. However, as Shibir had no open activities on the campus at that time, the issue of their identities did not come to fore then.
Four leaders of the new student organisation told Prothom Alo that BCL leaders had sole control of DU residential halls during the Awami League period. The residents were forced to participate in BCL programmes to stay in halls. The new organisation will welcome such students who had no record of criminal activities in the past.
The initiators of the upcoming student body cited the example of a student named Ashiqur Rahman Jim, who was executive member of Surja Sen Hall BCL. He was the first student to resign from BCL in support of the quota reform movement. Later, over 200 resigned from different posts of BCL.
Meanwhile, some others who did not have any post in BCL but were active participants of its programmes also disassociated themselves from the organisation during the quota movement.
Surja Sen Hall student Limon Mahmud Hasan and Amar Ekushey Hall student Mahir Alam are two such students. They got actively involved with the quota reform movement despite their past link with BCL. There are many such students. The new party’s leaders want to take such students onboard too.
The initiators of the new student organisation said it won’t have any connection with the SAD committees formed across the country after the mass uprising. It won’t even be connected with the new political party that is going to be formed soon under the aegis of SAD and Jatiya Nagorik Committee. However, a section of the SAD’s coordinators during the mass uprising is joining the new political party while some others are taking the helm of the new student organisation.
The committees of SAD and Jatiya Nagorik Committee will remain in place even after the new party and student organisation come into being, according to several central leaders of the platforms.
‘Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti’ again in discussion
After the mass uprising, a section of students at DU started a movement demanding an end to student politics in September last. At that time, all activities of Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti were suspended. The initiators of the new student organisation that is now about to emerge are mainly former leaders of Chhatra Shakti.
A group of leaders and activists left Gano Odhikar Parishad, the student organisation of former DUCSU VP Nurul Haque, and formed a new organisation called Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti in October 2023. Almost all of those who were at the forefront of the SAD that led the July mass uprising were leaders of Chhatra Shakti. Two leaders of this organisation, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, are serving as advisors to the interim government.
On the other hand, former leaders of Chhatra Shakti, including Abu Baker Majumder, Abdul Kader, Hasib Al Islam, Sanjana Afifa Aditi and several others, led from the front lines during the mass uprising. They are also among the initiators of the new student organisation.
Those in discussion
Talking to several former coordinators involved in the process of the new student organisation, it has been learned that the central convener of the new student organization is Abu Baker Majumdar. He is a student of the 2019-20 academic year of Dhaka University. He was the member secretary of the Dhaka University branch of Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti.
Former coordinator and current secretary of the Central Office Cell of the SAD, Zahid Ahsan and former coordinator Tahmid Al Muddassir Chowdhury are in discussion for the post of member secretary of the central committee. Both of them are students of the 2018-19 academic session of DU. The decision on who will ultimately become the member secretary has not been finalised yet.
A source said that the one among Zahid and Tahmid who will not become the member secretary will be the central chief organiser of the new student organisation. Ashrefa Khatun and Rafia Rehnuma Hridi are in discussion for the post of spokesperson of the new organisation. They were also associated with Chhatra Shakti. Among them, Ashrefa is a student of the 2018-19 academic year of DU and Rafia is a student of the 2019-20 academic year.
The organisers of the new student organisation said that it is almost certain that Abdul Kader, the former coordinator of the SAD, will take over as the convener of the organisation's DU unit. Kader came into the discussion by announcing a nine-point programme during the quota reform movement. He is a student of the 2018-19 academic year of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research of DU.
The names of Mahir Alam and Limon Mahmud Hasan are in the discussion for the post of DU unit member secretary. They were once involved with BCL politics but did not have any post.
Meanwhile, Hasib Al Islam and Rifat Rashid are in discussion for the post of chief organiser of DU unit and Rafia Rehnuma for spokesperson post. All of them were coordinators of SAD and former leaders of Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti.
Initiators said the central committee and the DU unit committee will be announced simultaneously. The committees might be announced in a day or two with the motto of ‘Students first’ and ‘Bangladesh first’.
Rezwan Ahmed Rifat, former coordinator of SAD and one of the initiators of the new student organisation, told Prothom Alo that the new student organisation will not have any mother organisation in mainstream politics. It won’t implement the agendas of any ‘mother party’. Students will elect their leaders in democratic process in the new organisation.
Rezwan said students lost their interests in politics until the July movement. Following the mass uprising, many youths have again got interested in politics. The new organisation will work to build an ideal state taking these youth onboard.