United News of Bangladesh

Newly elected General Secretary (GS) of Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU), Mazharul Islam, backed by the Shibir-supported ‘Coordinated Student Alliance,’ has pledged to work toward creating a student-friendly campus environment. “If we can fulfill our responsibilities properly, then we will achieve true success,” he told reporters after the JUCSU election results were announced on Saturday evening. Mazharul said he is committed to working for the welfare of students and the overall development of the campus, regardless of political affiliation. “We want to work together for the development of students and the campus environment, irrespective of political identity,” he said, seeking cooperation from all students. He also urged those who were not elected to join hands with the newly elected representatives in the ongoing struggle for student rights. The Shibir-backed panel bagged 20 of the 25 seats in the central council, including the top three positions amid cheers and controversy on the campus. Meanwhile, the independent contender Abdur Rashid Zitu clinched the VP post. From DUCSU to JUCSU: Shibir’s winning streak rolls on Other central council members elected include: AGS (Male) Ferdous Al Hasan and AGS (Female) Ayesha Siddiqua Meghla (Chhatra Shibir), Education & Research Secretary Abu Ubaida Usama (Chhatra Shibir), Environment & Nature Conservation Secretary Shafayet Mir (Chhatra Shibir), Literature & Publication Secretary Jahidul Islam Bappi (Chhatra Shibir), Cultural Secretary Muhibullah Sheikh Jisan (Independent), Co-Cultural Secretary Raihan Uddin (Chhatra Shibir), Drama Secretary Ruhul Islam (Chhatra Shibir), Sports Secretary Mahmudul Hasan Kiran (Independent), Co-Sports Secretary (Male) Mahdi Hasan and Co-Sports Secretary (Female) Farhana Akter Lubna (Chhatra Shibir). Besides, IT & Library Secretary Rashedul Imon Likhan, Social Welfare & Human Development Secretary Ahsan Labib (Bagshash), Co-Social Welfare & Human Development Secretary (Male) Touhid Islam, Co-Social Welfare & Human Development Secretary (Female) Nigar Sultana, Health & Food Security Secretary Husne Mubarak, and Transport & Communication Secretary Tanvir Rahman (all Chhatra Shibir) were elected. Three male and three female executive members were also chosen and they are Tarikul Islam, Abu Talha, Mohammad Ali Chishti, Fabliha Jahan, Nabila Binte Harun and Nusrat Jahan Ema. JUCSU Polls: Independent Abdur Rashid grabs VP, Shibir’s Mazhar bags GS The JUCSU election was held for the tenth time, breaking a 33-year dormancy since the last election in 1992, which had become defunct following a tumultuous incident at the Senate building.

Islami Chhatra Shibir has tightened its grip on Bangladesh’s student politics, storming to a resounding victory in the Jahangirnagar University Central Student Union (JUCSU) elections. Riding high on its earlier victory of Dhaka University’s DUCSU polls, the Shibir-backed ‘Coordinated Student Alliance’ clinched 20 out of 25 central council seats, leaving rival groups trailing far behind. Although independent candidate Abdur Rashid Zitu won the Vice President (VP) post Shibir-backed panel candidates secured the remaining key positions. Zitu grabbed the VP post with 3324 votes. He is the convener of JU’s Gonoovvutthan Rokkha Andolon and a 47th batch student of the Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture. The results were announced on Saturday at 7 pm by the JU Election Commission. The Shibir-backed candidates elected include General Secretary Mazharul Islam (3930 votes) AGS (Male) Ferdous Al Hasan (2358) AGS (Female) Ayesha Siddiqua Meghla (3402) Education & Research Secretary Abu Ubaida Usama (2428) and Environment & Nature Conservation Secretary Md. Shafayet Mir (2811). Other elected members from the Shibir-backed panel include: Literature & Publication Secretary Jahidul Islam Bappi (1907), Co-Cultural Secretary Md. Raihan Uddin (1986), Drama Secretary Md. Ruhul Islam (1929), Co-Sports Secretary (Female) Farhana Akter Lubna (1976), Co-Sports Secretary (Male) Md. Mahdi Hasan (2105), IT & Library Secretary Md. Rashedul Imon Likhan (2436), Co-Social Welfare & Human Development Secretary (Female) Nigar Sultana, Co-Social Welfare & Human Development Secretary (Male) Touhid Islam (2442) Health & Food Security Secretary Husne Mubarak (2653) and Transport & Communication Secretary Tanvir Rahman (2559). JUCSU Polls: Independent Abdur Rashid grabs VP, Shibir’s Mazhar bags GS Executive members include Tarikul Islam (1766) and Abu Talha (1854) (male) and Nabila Binte Harun (2753) Fabliha Jahan (2475) and Nusrat Jahan Ima (3014) (female). Among the remaining five seats three went to independents and two to the Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangshad (Bagchas) panel. Independent winners were Cultural Secretary Muhibullah Sheikh Jisan (2018) and Sports Secretary Mahmudul Hasan Kiran (5778). Bagchas won Social Welfare & Human Development Secretary (Ahsan Labib, 1590) and male executive member (Mohammad Ali Chishti, 2414) post. The elections held for the first time in 33 years saw nearly 68% turnout with about 8000 of 12000 eligible voters casting ballots. Counting took almost 40 hours as votes were tallied manually rather than by machine.

Chief Election Commissioner of Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) election Professor Dr Moniruzzaman  said the final results of the election will be declared by 7 pm on Saturday.  “We have been counting votes for the past three days amid various dramatic developments. There were several obstacles but despite the delay we are hopeful of announcing the final results by 7pm,” he said while talking to reporters this morning. Sources said vote counting has been completed in 15 residential halls out of 21. Informal results suggested that the panel backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir is leading in 21 out of 25 positions. Tight races are being reported for four key posts—Vice President (VP), Cultural Affairs Secretary, Sports Secretary and Social Welfare Secretary. Independent candidate Jitu leading in JUCSU VP race; counting still underway Independent candidates are leading in three positions while Bagchas-backed candidate Ahsan Labib is ahead for Social Welfare Secretary. Independent candidate Abdur Rashid Jitu is leading the VP race by a margin of around 800 votes over Shibir-backed Arif Ullah while in the Cultural Secretary race, Jisan Ahmed Jisu is ahead of Shibir panel’s Ali Zaki Shahriar. In the race for Sports Secretary, independent candidate Mahmudul Hasan Kiran is leading against Shibir panel’s Shafiuzzaman Shaheen. Though the BNP-backed panel boycotted the election earlier, their nominated Assistant General Secretary (Women) candidate Anjuman Ara Ikra urged students to accept the results in the greater interest of the student body. She came up with the urge in her facebook post on Friday night. In her post, she wrote, “Regardless of the outcome, we were committed to ensuring fair voting for the students. Despite open irregularities and rigging by the administration, we must accept this verdict for the sake of the students.” She further urged BNP student wing leaders to focus on their mistakes and moving forward. Vote counting of the election began on the night of September 11 after it ended amid allegations of ballot stuffing and administrative bias. A total of 11,743 students were eligible to cast their votes in the election, with turnout reaching around 67-68 percent. A total of eight full and partial panels contested this year’s JUCSU election, though several later pulled out of the race. The panels that boycotted the polls include the BNP-backed Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Sampritir Oikya, Swatantra Angikar Parishad, Songshoptak Parishad, and candidates from the Socialist Student Front. Some independent candidates also withdrew from the election. Among those who stayed in the race were the Jamaat-backed Islami Chhatra Shibir-supported “Combined Students’ Alliance,” the “Student Unity Forum” backed by Ganatantrik Chhatra Sansad, and the independent “Students’ Sammilon” led by former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Abdur Rashid Jitu. This year, 177 candidates are contesting in 25 posts JUCSU polls. Nine candidates are vying for the position of vice president (VP), while eight competed for the general secretary (GS) post. In the women’s 10 residential halls, 59 out of 150 posts had no candidates, while 67 posts had only one candidate each, resulting in elections being held for just 24 posts. In two of the university’s 21 halls, all candidates were elected unopposed.  

For the very first time in the history of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election, Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed ‘Oikyoboddho Shikkharthi Jote’ (United Students’ Alliance), has won the polls securing a record number of posts. Out of total 28 posts in DUCSU, the panel secured 23. On the other hand, the panels of Chhatra Dal and Ganatantrik Chhatrasangsad did not secure even a single post. Shibir-backed VP candidate Shadik Kayem was elected VP securing 14,042 votes while his nearest rival Chhatra Dal’s Abidul Islam Khan got 5,708 votes. In the General Secretary post, Shibir candidate S M Farhad was elected with 10,794 vote while his closest rival Tanvir Bari Hamim of Chhatra Dal got 5,283 votes; Abu Bakar Majumdar of “Boishommobirodhi Shikkharthi Sangsad” got 2,131 votes; Meghmallar Basu of the Left Alliance-supported panel “Protirodh Parishad” got 4,949 votes; and independent candidate Arafat Chowdhury got 4,044 votes. DUCSU: Shadik enjoys commanding lead in race for VP as Shibir set to sweep top three posts In the Assistant General Secretary post, Shibir-backed candidate Md. Mohiuddin Khan was elected with 11,772 votes while his nearest rival Tanvir Al Hadi Mayed of Chhatra Dal, got 5,064 votes; Ashrefa Khatun of “Boishommobirodhi Shikkharthi Sangsad” secured 900 votes; independent candidate Tahmid Al Mudassir bagged 3,008 votes and Jabir Ahmed Jubel of “Protirodh Parishad” got 1,511 votes. In the Liberation War and Democratic Movement Affairs Secretary post, Shibir-backed candidate Fatema Tasnim Jhuma won with 10,631 votes, Ariful Islam from the Chhatra Dal panel received 2,470 votes, Numan Ahmed Chowdhury from “Independent Students’ Unity” got 1,776 votes; Mojammel Haque of “Protirodh Porshad” got 1,336 votes and B. M. Fahmida Alam from “Aparajeyo 71 Odommo 24” panel got 1,057 votes. In Social Services Secretary post Independent candidate A. B. Zubair was elected with 7,608 votes as Social Services Secretary of DUCSU. Mohir Alam of “Boishommobirodhi Shikkharthi Sangsad” got 2,099 votes; and Syed Imam Hasan Anik from the Chhatra Dal panel received 3,903 votes.

Islami Chhatra Shibir's Dhaka University branch held a press conference today at Modhur Canteen, demanding immediate scheduling of the DUCSU election, justice for the murder of their fellow student Shahriar Alam Shammo’s murder and assurances regarding security on the campus. The organization warned of a strict program along with general students if a clear roadmap for the DUCSU election is not announced soon. SM Farhad, the president of DU Shibir, read out a written speech at the conference. He said that the DUCSU is a platform which aims to ensure students’ legal delegation, demands, needs and basic rights. Students’ expectation from the new administration after the fall of fascism was the DUCSU election, one of nine demands. But, unfortunately the administration is going too slow. Secretariat employees suspend Wednesday’s protests after meeting   “If the DUCSU election roadmap is not announced immediately, DU Chhatra Shibir along with students will hold a strict program to ensure students’ demands are heard," he said. “We also hope that the administration will take visible and effective measures to build a safe campus," said Farhad. They also demanded justice for the murder of Shammo, a student of DU and leader of Chhatra Dal. “We want to know why Shammo was killed and who is behind this. The facts must be unveiled and the involved must be tried”, he added. However, SM Farhad and secretary general Mohiuddin Khan expressed gratitude as SC has acquitted Jamat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam. Meanwhile, a group of leaders from leftist student organizations held a protest rally at around 4.30pm from Madhur canteen against the verdict of SC regarding ATM Azharul, accusing him of  being a Razakar during the Liberation War of 1971.

Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has strongly condemned the attack and vandalism at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in India’s Agartala. The student organization expressed its deep concern over the incident, urging both the governments of Bangladesh and India to take immediate steps to prevent further escalation. Dhaka sharply reacts over “heinous attack” on its Agartala mission In a statement, Chhatra Shibir's central president, Monzurul Islam, said, “Relations between neighboring countries must be founded on mutual respect and trust. Diplomatic missions are safeguarded by international law.” “Attacks like these not only jeopardize diplomatic ties but also harm the overall relationship between the two nations. This incident threatens regional stability and could contribute to the spread of extremism and violence,” he further added. Security enhanced for Bangladesh missions in India He also urged the Indian government to promptly identify the attackers, ensure they are held accountable, and reinforce the security of the mission. “It is crucial to take concrete measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future,” he added.

Propagating radicalism, circulating anti-liberation narratives, and slaying rivals are the cornerstone of Islami Chhatra Shibir's politics, leading to bans on many campuses, alleged former student leaders who became victims of Shibir's gruesome attacks. Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, continued the crimes due to the absence of proper documentation of those incidents of severing, the tendons of many university students with sharp weapons, revealed the survivors participating in a webinar held recently. Regarding the reason behind their attacks, the victims said Shibir activists were infuriated by initiatives they had undertaken to expose the 'radical, hardline, and extremist' views of the group, that was rejected by general students. As most such attacks were carried out during the last BNP-Jamaat tenure (2001-2006), lack of cheap Internet and absence of CCTV footage conspired with that dreaded outfit, they added. Rajshahi University (RU) campus witnessed horrific attacks by Shibir cadres who cut tendons of Bangladesh Chhatra League students. Dr Shah Alam, who enrolled in Rajshahi Medical College in 2004,  said Shibir leaders and activists became so violent following the BNP-Jamaat takeover in 2001 that they didn't even allow Chhatra League students to stay in their dormitories or take exams. Recalling the killing of another RU student Farque whose body was recovered from a manhole after Shibir cadres cut his tendons, Dr Alam said, “This happened even after Awami League returned to power back in 2009.” Read: Webinar: Former BCL leaders recount Shibir's 'violent politics' Dipak Pal, another former BCL leader of the Mymensingh Agricultural University unit, said, "In 2001, when I was a second-year student, a gang kept stabbing me until they thought that I went beyond all the pain.” “However, later, I was taken to Rajshahi Medical and underwent intensive treatment. Though I recovered, my body bears such marks.” They swooped on him after he rushed to a polling center where they snatched ballot boxes and kept stuffing ballots sealing with BNP-Jamaat's electoral symbol during the 2001 election, he added. Tonmoy Ahmed, former general secretary of Awami League's Buet unit, referring to a report by a newspaper, said, “A fake story was cooked up to criminalize me and my junior Arif Raihan Dwip that we beat an imam at a mosque on the campus. The reason they targeted us was that both of us were active in the youths' movement against the war criminals.” Days into the news getting published, Dwip was hacked to death by another BUET student. The attacker, now on bail, confessed that provocative sermons by one Imam influenced him to carry out the killing, Tonmoy added. Shibir, known as Islami Chhatra Sangha before Bangladesh's independence, actively helped Pakistani occupation forces in 1971 to commit genocide and other war crimes, the speakers added.

Former Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders have recounted the "violent politics" of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat e Islami, on university campuses. Three former BCL leaders, who "survived the brutal attacks of Islami Chhatra Shibir," shared their experiences at a webinar Tuesday. Abul Kalam Azad, a former Chittagong University BCL leader, said: "On May 15, 1999, as I left the exam hall, an armed gang of Shibir activists waylaid me and whisked me away by brandishing weapons. They dragged me to a brick kiln and beat me up mercilessly." "A senior student rushed to save me and begged the attackers to spare me. As I tried to flee, the Shibir activists dragged me back and almost smashed my head with bricks." Diagnosed with haemorrhage, Azad had to spend two years in treatment in Dhaka and India's Chennai. "I still suffer from mental trauma 23 years after the attack and have to consult doctors," Azad said. Tonmoy Ahmed, a former Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) student, has 130 stitches all over his body after he and his friend were mercilessly hacked with machetes near his village home during Eid. "Amar Desh published a cooked-up story implicating me and Arif Raihan Dweep, my fellow junior at BUET, for beating up an imam at a mosque on the campus who supplied food to a group of Islamists. In reality, we had just complained to the university about how an imam can be allowed to serve meals to radicals when the meals were meant for the students." A few days after the Amar Desh report, Dweep was hacked by a fellow student in broad daylight in his dormitory, said Tonmoy. "The attacker Meshbahuddin confessed before the magistrate that provocative sermons from a preacher invoked him to kill Dweep." Following 84 days of a battle between life and death Dweep succumbed to his injuries, Tonmoy added. "Months later when I was at my village home at Palashbari on Eid vacation, venturing out with friends at night, a microbus bearing Dhaka Metro number plate flanked by some bike riders emerged near a deserted market and attacked me," recalled Tonmoy. Tonmoy was rushed to a hospital where he underwent surgery. Even after he survived the surgery, attempts were on to eliminate him. A Shibir activist of the Rangpur Medical University unit was picked up when trying to gather information about his ward, he added.

Detective Branch of Police on Saturday arrested 18 suspected leaders and activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat e Islami, including Sheuli Aktar, a councillor of Meherpur Municipality, from a house in the district town.

Police arrested seven suspected leaders and activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir from a dormitory at Malotinagar in Bogura district town on charge of suspected sabotage activities.   The arrestees were identified as Shahin Alam, 24, Al Galif, 23, Zia Alam, 24, Abdul Kuddus, 25, Mehedi Hasan, 28, Golam Martuza, 27 and Yusuf Ali, 27. They hail from different districts.   Police conducted the drive at the dormitory and arrested seven people along with five sacks of jihadi books, laptop, computer and some sharp weapons, said Sanatan Chakraborty, additional superintendent of Bogura Police.   Sanatan said they had information that the arrestees gathered at the dormitory, owned by one Hamidul Haque Tota Mia, to carry out subversive activities, he said.   A case was filed in this connection.   Read Also: 11 Shibir men held in Jhenaidah