Nurul Haque Nur, the former DUCSU VP whose conflict with the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) made frequent headlines, believes his failures in office stemmed from the student wing of the Awami League.
Even before his election in 2019 — following a nearly three-decade pause in the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) polls — Nur says the post had been made untenable by the BCL.
"The BCL verbally promised cooperation at the time, but in reality, their support was not evident. Even when initiatives were taken to get things done, they imposed obstacles," he told Stream.
Nur's struggles have resurfaced now with another DUCSU election in the offing, with discussions centering on the activities of the previous committee.
In 2019, students had hoped that long-standing problems would come to an end through the elected student representatives, but the elected DUCSU committee failed to live up to those expectations.
The university's housing crisis, "gono room" culture, eviction of graduates and outsiders from the campus, research allocation issues, and food quality, among others, remained unresolved despite promises.
Although some executive committee secretaries and members took a few initiatives individually, no fundamental problems were solved.
DUCSU's time was spent mostly amid conflicts, debates, and criticisms.
In this regard, Nur said that as VP (vice president) he had repeatedly requested the GS (general secretary) and AGS (assistant general secretary) to take initiatives to abolish the "gono room" or "guestroom" culture, but they did not act.
Even the vice-chancellor spoke in line with the BCL's stance, he alleged.
I raised and provided nearly Tk5 lakh to financially support students during COVID, as students faced extreme hardship at that time.
Although some work began with a bit of understanding immediately after the 2019 DUCSU election, the distance between the VP and GS gradually grew.
While trying to evict outsiders, deep rifts developed between the BCL and the leaders of the General Students' Rights Protection Council.
This distance remained unresolved for the rest of the committee's tenure, he said.
An era of conflicts, budgetary issues
General students believe that the conflict between the 23 representatives elected from the BCL panel and the two representatives from the Students' Rights Council became the biggest obstacle to DUCSU's activities.
On this, Nurul Haque Nur said the BCL carried out various programmes in its own way under the name of DUCSU, and it was impossible for them to communicate or hold discussions with other active organisations on campus.
He also said the use of funds was another issue.
Nur said that at the time DUCSU had an allocation of Tk1.89 crore.
This money was spent by various secretaries and members on different programmes, publications, and development activities of the BCL.
AL was in power for three consecutive terms, which allowed the BCL to continue their dominance. Even if the students wanted to resist, they couldn't, and it was difficult for us too
However, there was no budget allocation in the names of the VP or GS; instead, budgets were given under the names of different secretaries.
"Even the Tk10,000 shown as spent in my name was not spent by me. I chose not to use that money because I did not find it reasonable to spend it on office or transport bills. On the contrary, I raised and provided nearly Tk5 lakh to financially support students during COVID, as students faced extreme hardship at that time. I provided them financial assistance, created opportunities for them to go out, and helped as much as I could with their studies and family problems."
Nur's use of funds — or lack of use — was also a central theme of criticism by the BCL at the time.
In 2020, the then AGS of DUCSU and general secretary of Dhaka University Chhatra League, Saddam Hossain, told the media: "The VP never actually wanted to take any allocation. As the chief executive of DUCSU, he had the opportunity to receive funds. But instead of focusing on the overall welfare of students, he asked for money for someone's bicycle or for an educational tour. He was not genuinely involved in student politics; he was trying to establish a presence in national politics. He engaged in embassy-centred politics."
In response, Nur again pointed to BCL interference.
"Let me first clarify that after taking office in DUCSU, I served as vice president. According to the constitution, the VP is the chief executive of DUCSU. But in practice, it was seen that a few influential leaders of the BCL often made decisions without consulting me. Especially regarding budget expenditures, my opinion was never taken. Even so, I thought that if at least some work could be done for the students, that would be the most important thing. So, I carried out whatever I could."
What did Nur achieve?
When asked about the major achievements of DUCSU during his tenure, Nur said there were quite a few.
"We reduced excessive fees that were being charged by the departments under various categories, including development fees. The entry time for female residential halls was extended to 10pm, and the same was applied to library reading hours. We also ensured access to safe drinking water in both the halls and the library. Overall, there has been an improvement in the university's democratic environment; now all student organisations can operate actively."
On his shortcomings, Nur said his duties didn't mean just going through formalities, but also standing by students.
"At that time, students were subjected to torture in guest rooms and gono rooms. Those who didn't attend political programmes were politically and mentally harassed. I tried to stand by those students and create a fear-free environment for them."
Nur further said that for him, being VP meant eliminating such practices and building a student-friendly campus.
"My biggest achievement during my one-year tenure was preserving Dhaka University's legacy of protest. From the Language Movement to the Liberation War, and the anti-Ershad movement, Dhaka University has always been at the centre of every major movement. I tried to awaken that spirit among the new generation," he said.
"This is the reason why new leaders emerged from within the students. Leaders like Hasib and Nahid, who played crucial roles in the 2021 anti-Modi protest and the July Mass Uprising 2024: they were nurtured through DUCSU."
What were his failures?
Addressing his failure to stop torture in the guest room and gono room, he said, "Many people say that I could not completely eradicate this issue during my tenure as VP, and they think it is my failure.
"This is not solely my failure; rather, it is an extreme failure of DUCSU. However, I cannot be held solely responsible for this because the culture of torture in the guest room and gono room was always backed by the ruling government's student wing."
He said even though the hall administration officially held responsibility, in reality, the halls were controlled by the BCL.
"The Awami League was in power for three consecutive terms, which allowed the BCL to continue their dominance. Even if the students wanted to resist, they couldn't, and it was difficult for us too. Still, whenever incidents of torture occurred, I stood by the students and tried to support them in every possible way."
Nurul Haque Nur further mentioned that the DUCSU election had, to some extent, reduced the repression carried out by the then ruling party's student wing. "They at least began to realise that they would need students' votes, and that is why independent candidates were elected in several halls, and the torture carried out under the guise of a guest room was reduced."
Debate over VP-GS: 'Lived outside campus'
VP Nur and the then general secretary Golam Rabbani, who were elected by the students, did not live in the halls.
Both of them lived separately outside of the university campus. As a result, it was not possible for them to immediately come forward with any problems of the students; this was the complaint of students at that time.
Addressing this, Nur said, "This is a common allegation that, as VP, I did not reside in the hall. I want to clarify that right after being elected as VP, Chhatra League launched a brutal attack on me. There were horrific incidents, and even students were thrown from rooftops. In such an environment, it was not safe for me to live in the halls. I stayed occasionally, but most of the time I couldn't."
Comments