A section of general students of Dhaka University and student organisations are now at loggerheads over hall-based politics as the university authorities on early Saturday reiterated that both open and covert political activities would remain banned in the residential halls.
Dhaka University proctor Saifuddin Ahmed reiterated on early Saturday that both open and covert political activities would remain banned in the university鈥檚 residential halls, in line with the notifications issued on July 17, 2024.
Saifuddin made the statement while addressing the students protesting against the recent announcement of Bangladesh Chhatra Dal鈥檚 hall committees.
Many of the protesting students alleged that the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League, carried out repressive politics by occupying the halls.
The students said that they were afraid of repression like the culture of 鈥楪anaroom鈥�, a room run by the ruling party鈥檚 student wing, 鈥楪uestroom鈥�, a room used to abuse students verbally and physically, and forcing hall students to participate in political programmes would return, if hall-based politics began again.
Local government, rural development and cooperatives adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, on Saturday, in a question-and-answer session with journalists at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium, said that such a situation might not arise if the student organisations sat together and made an outline of student politics after the July uprising.
He urged the student organisations to make the outline of student politics through mutual understanding.
On Friday, Chhatra Dal announced the convening committees for 18 halls of the university.
By midnight, a section of students staged demonstrations in different halls, demanding a complete ban on student politics in the residential facilities.
At about 2:00am, DU vice-chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan and the proctor met the protesters in front of the VC鈥檚 residence and held a discussion for about an hour.
The VC assured that the hall provosts鈥� July 17, 2024 decision on restricting hall-level politics would remain in force.
He added that student politics would be 鈥榗ontrolled鈥� in residential halls.
Later, proctor Saifuddin Ahmed announced that both overt and covert politics in the halls would remain prohibited.
By around 3:00am, the students returned to their halls.
Revolutionary Students鈥� Unity general secretary Jabir Ahmed Jubel said that, as students had the right to hold processions, the demand to ban student politics in the halls or to expel those who hold committee positions while residing there was nothing but the words of the fascists.
In response to a journalist鈥檚 question in front of Madhu鈥檚 Canteen, Dhaka University unit of Chhatra Union president Meghmallar Bose said, 鈥楾his culture of cutting off the head to cure a headache is short-sighted.鈥�
If any student files a writ petition against the administration鈥檚 decision to ban student politics at halls, it will be scrapped as it contradicts the 1973 Dhaka University Ordinance, he said.
The university authority鈥檚 current policy may push student organisations toward competing in underground politics, which will make the state of student politics on campus even worse, he said.
On Saturday afternoon, the university unit of Chhatra Dal brought out a procession on the campus.
The march began from the university鈥檚 central library, passed through the hall para area, and concluded at the Teacher-Student Centre.
During the procession, they chanted no slogan, but the participants clapped when they marched.
DU unit of JCD president Ganesh Chandra Roy Sahos and general secretary Nahiduzzaman Shipon were present in the procession.聽
Dhaka University unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir president SM Farhad, addressing journalists in front of Madhu鈥檚 Canteen Saturday afternoon, said that Shibir had no committees in the university鈥檚 residential halls.
He said that Shibir believed in university-based student politics, not hall-based politics.
鈥楢t present, we are not conducting any political activities in the residential halls,鈥� he said.
However, the Democratic Student Council鈥檚 DU unit convener Abdul Qader alleged that, despite restrictions, Islami Chhatra Shibir activists were freely conducting activities in DU鈥檚 residential halls.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, he wrote that Shibir activists, under titles such as 鈥榙isciplinary committee鈥� or 鈥榖atch representative鈥�, were maintaining a shadow administration inside the halls.
Dhaka University unit of JCD general secretary Nahiduzzaman Shipon said that, since August 5, 2024, different student organisations had been carrying out activities under different names in all the halls.
鈥榃e do politics openly. If any of our members commits an offence, there is a scope for accountability. But in underground politics, there is no such accountability,鈥� he added.
Shipon further said that the university administration should give a clear explanation, in accordance with the university ordinance, on how students can conduct their political activities.
鈥楾he university administration is not above the law. The halls are not isolated places. If someone can do politics outside the halls on the campus, what is the difference between that and doing politics in the halls?鈥� he added.
Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in a press release on Saturday said that it had removed six of their newly appointed leaders from its newly announced hall committees over allegations of concealing information.
