A student of Dhaka University has alleged that he was excluded from the committee of the newly formed Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, the student party formed by members of the Anti Discrimination Students Movement, on the basis of 'Shibir tagging'.

'Shibir tagging' refers to the practice of attributing links with the Jamaat e Islami's student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, to someone irrespective of whether it is true or not.

Mustafa Ahmed, a student of the 2018-19 session of the International Relations Department of DU, claimed that despite his involvement in past student activities, his name was removed from the committee before its announcement under the accusation of being linked to Shibir.

Reading from a written statement at a press conference held at the Dhaka University Journalists' Association (DUJA) on Wednesday, Mustafa stated, "I have been a victim of unwanted tagging by the organization, which was founded with the spirit of the July movement. The practice of labeling individuals as Shibir to justify exclusion or persecution must end." 

He emphasized that he does not seek any position but wants to eliminate the 15-year-long culture of political tagging.

Mustafa said he contacted Limon Mahmud Hasan, the senior joint convener of the organization, who informed him that the search committee, led by National Citizens' Party organizer Hamza Mahbub, had removed him due to alleged Shibir affiliation.

Regarding this, the convener of the DU branch of the organization, Abdul Kader, said, "On campus, parties like Chhatra Dal and others engage in politics openly. But Shibir is still not engaging in open politics. Our independent organization’s ideology will not align with Shibir or any other student organization. Therefore, it was unanimously decided that those who are suspected of being involved with any other party based on their online and offline activities in the past will initially not be included in the organization."

One member from each hall was included in the search committee formed for this purpose. Hamza Mahbub, an organizer of the Jatiya Nagarik Party, was also a member of this committee.

Some students were not included in the committee based on the committee’s information. The complainant, Mustafa Ahmed, was one of them. Kader said Mustafa had not been involved in any activities of the anti-discrimination student movement after August 5. 

"This is normal not to include him in the committee. And this is an independent organization. There is no obligation to include anyone in the committee," he added.