When the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) approved its committees for University of Dhaka halls on Friday, there was no way to guess what was about to happen.
While committee members were posting on social media and patting each other on the back, the students were channeling the spirit of July.
Specifically, they were drawing on the energy from the night of July 16 last year, when students broke out of halls and took to the streets to free the DU halls from the Awami League's student-run body, the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
In response, the administration that day declared all 18 halls of the university free from student politics — not just from the BCL. Just before 3:00am, the university administration announced that both overt and covert politics would be banned in University of Dhaka halls.
On Friday night, the students came out again, questioning whether that decision has, in fact, been rendered meaningless.
This time the protest was against the Chhatra Dal-announced committees.
Hall committee announcement by JCD
On Friday morning, the JCD announced the convening committees for 18 halls of Dhaka University. A statement signed by Mallik Wasi Uddin Tami, office secretary of Dhaka University Chhatra Dal, stated that the JCD has dissolved the existing committees of the university's halls and announced new convening committees.
DU Chhatra Dal President Ganesh Chandra Roy Sahos and General Secretary Nahiduzzaman Shipon approved these committees, where a total of 593 leaders and activists have been nominated to various positions.
In each newly announced committee, there are between 3 to 61 members, including conveners, senior joint conveners, and member secretaries.
However, for a few female student halls, smaller committees have been formed, with membership ranging from 3 to 8 members.
Debate over the committee
After the announcement of the Chhatra Dal committees, debates and controversies arose.
Many alleged that several members of the banned BCL have found places in the new committees. There have been allegations that nearly 60 former leaders and activists of the Chhatra League have been given positions in the Chhatra Dal committees.
Discussions and criticisms continued throughout the day. Both online and offline, voices were raised saying that "dedicated and long-serving members of Chhatra Dal were not properly recognised in these committees".
A student named Shamim Mia, who claims to be a Chhatra Dal activist, wrote on Facebook, "I submitted my CV for the hall committee of Chhatra Dal in 2020. However, I was denied a position because I was a junior. Against our slogan 'Bangladesh Zindabad,' those who used the slogan 'Joy Bangla' have also been included in the Dhaka University Chhatra Dal committee."
Abidul Islam Khan, the joint general secretary of the Dhaka University Chhatra Dal, shared the post.
In response to these allegations, an investigation committee was formed on Friday.
According to a press release from Chhatra Dal, the investigation committee includes DU Chhatra Dal's Senior Vice-President Masum Billah, Senior Joint General Secretary Nasir Uddin Shawon, and Organisational Secretary Noor Alam Bhuiyan Imon as members.
The committee has been instructed to submit a written report within the next three working days.
Betrayal with July mass uprising: Umama
Umama Fatema, former spokesperson of the anti-discrimination student movement, has called the formation of the Chhatra Dal committees a betrayal of the July mass uprising.
On Friday afternoon, in a post on her verified Facebook account, she wrote, "On July 16 last year, with the martyrdom of Abu Saeed, students gained the courage to free the campus from Chhatra League. But again, the covert politics and the practice of open committees have begun, which is clearly a betrayal of the July uprising. If the committee is not suspended by tonight, the students will take strict measures."
Students fear return of guest room culture: Kader
At a press conference on Friday afternoon at Modhur Canteen, Abdul Kader, convener of the DU's Bangladesh Democratic Student Council, expressed concern that the appointment of hall committees may lead to the return of the notorious "guest room culture" in the student halls.
"In this situation, students are worried that chaos will return to the halls, guest room culture will come back, and so will protocol culture. Students are afraid that their academic life will be disrupted. Whether their physical condition is poor, whether their father or mother has passed away, whether they are sick or have an exam the next day, none of that will matter. They will be forced to serve just to keep their seat in the hall."
Criticising student wings, Kader said political parties have failed to uphold their responsibilities to students.
"Ignoring their commitment to students, Islami Chhatra Shibir has not only maintained their previous hall committees but is actively operating them. The Shibir president has admitted that small teams still exist in the halls. The student union has published its hall and academic area committees as well. Eventually the Chhatra Dal has announced its hall convening committees, going against the expectations and aspirations of the students," he said.
"We observed that Islami Chhatra Shibir, without even appearing publicly, is actively operating its underground committees in the halls," he added.
Kader emphasised that this issue is not just about getting written statements from hall administrations to ban student politics.
In July, students had presented a 9-point demand, one of which was the abolition of partisan student politics in universities and reactivation of independent student unions.
In protest of the Chhatra Dal's newly announced hall committees, students of Dhaka University came out to the streets on Friday night.
Around 12:30am, students from different halls started gathering at the base of the Raju Sculpture.
During the protest, students vandalised various items and gifts, including water filters in halls which were installed by Chhatra Shibir.
Later, the protesters took position in front of the VC's residence.
Addressing the protestors, DU VC Niaz Ahmed said, "As per the agreement made on 17 July last year regarding student politics, hall administrations are free to make decisions accordingly.
DU Proctor Associate Professor Saifuddin Ahmed told journalists, "We decided that no student politics will be allowed at the hall level. Politics can be conducted at central points, like Madhur Canteen or the Faculty of Arts building, as per the previous agreement. However, we cannot force student organisations to dissolve their committees. We've made it clear that hall-level politics is prohibited as the agreement from 17 July remains in effect."
JCD's DU Office secretary Tami told Stream that the decision made by the university administration on Friday, particularly by the proctor, to ban student politics is, in many ways, absurd.
He also mentioned that engaging in politics is a constitutional right.
"This will create a political vacuum in the university. If student organisations can't operate at the hall level, their entire organisational structure will collapse."
When asked whether the Chhatra Dal's decision to form hall committees contradicts the 9-point demands and the movement on 17 July last year, Tami said, "The 9-point demands and the movement on 17 July last year were actually against the BCL. Our organisation disagreed with section 7 of the 9 demands, which called for a ban on student politics. As we did not agree on that, leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement had said the issue would be revisited in future discussions."
He also called for a re-evaluation of the demands listed in the 9-point charter.
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