Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) Cultural Secretary Sheikh Jisan Ahmed has announced he is resigning, alleging administrative interference, lack of decision-making freedom and political influence in cultural programmes.
Jisan made the announcement in a Facebook post on Friday saying he would resign if he could not work independently or faced interference in performing his duties.
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He said he was elected independently and was not part of any political party or panel.
Jisan alleged that the university administration repeatedly changed the list of presenters for a central cultural programme without consulting him.
He said he selected two presenters after discussing the matter with Teachers-Students Centre (TSC) teachers. Later, another presenter was added and subsequently asked to step down.
He further alleged that about two hours before the programme, an official received a call from a senior administrative authority to add two more presenters. When he went to the stage, he found two additional presenters, bringing the total to seven.
Jisan alleged that political interests influenced the changes. He claimed that one presenter later decided not to host any university programme in the future, while another left the event after feeling humiliated.
He also alleged interference during a cultural programme at Mukto Mancha. According to Jisan, several people from the administration and some teachers gave him the names of several student leaders and pressured him to announce their names over the microphone.
He said tension broke out among Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leaders after he announced the names. He also alleged that someone later pressured him to apologise on stage.
“Am I a pawn in your chess game?” Jisan wrote, expressing his frustration over the alleged interference.
Jisan said he had worked on films and videos on a zero-budget basis before joining JUCSU and had collaborated with hundreds of university students.
He also said he continued performing his duties for the past 15 days despite having a fractured hand, but did not receive the respect and freedom he deserved.
Explaining his decision, Jisan said he valued self-respect more than power.
“Where student leaders seek political power, I chose to leave power while holding a position. Power means very little to me; self-respect matters more,” he wrote.