United News of Bangladesh

The authorities of Jahangirnagar University (JU) have formed a seven-member committee to look into the alleged attempted rape and murder of a female student by an outsider on the campus. The decision was taken at an emergency administrative meeting held on Saturday midnight with Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan in the chair, according to a press release issued by the Public Relations Department. Prof Dr Md Sohel Rana of the Pharmacy Department will act as the convener of the committee. Other members of the committee are Prof Dr Nahid Akhtar of the Botany Department, Prof Md Zakir Hossain and Prof Md Zahir Rayhan of the Philosophy Department, Prof Dr Nasrin Sultana of the Government and Politics Department, and Prof Dr Md Kamrujjaman of the Zoology Department. Deputy Registrar (Higher Education and Scholarship) Lutfor Rahman Arif will serve as the member secretary of the committee. According to the press release, the female student allegedly faced an attempted rape and murder by an outsider on the campus on the night of May 12. The university authorities formed the committee to determine responsibility for the incident, identify security lapses by the departments concerned or individuals and recommend necessary measures. The administration asked the committee to submit its investigation report along with recommendations within seven working days.

Police have announced a reward for information leading to the identification of the suspect who attempted to rape a female student at Jahangirnagar University (JU). The law enforcement agencies are working to identify the man seen in CCTV footage in connection with the attack and rape attempt, said a press release issued by Police Headquarters. Police also requested anyone with information regarding the suspect’s identity, whereabouts or any related details to contact them through WhatsApp at 01320-089305. The identity of the informant will be kept completely confidential and a reward will be given for reliable information, it said. The incident took place after 11pm on Tuesday when the student was passing through an area adjacent to the old Fazilatunnesa Hall and the extended part of Al-Beruni Hall. A man  dragged her into nearby bushes and attempted to rape her. Later, Deputy Registrar of the university’s security branch, Md Jefrul Hasan Chowdhury, filed a case with Ashulia Police Station against an unidentified person on charges of attempted rape and attempted murder.

The first-year undergraduate (honours) classes for the 2024–25 academic session at Jahangirnagar University (JU) will commence on 21 September, university authorities confirmed on Thursday. Deputy Registrar (Academic) Syed Mohammad Ali Reza told journalists, “We hope to issue an official order by Friday (Sept 19) listing the class roll, registration numbers, and allocated halls for the new students.” A total of 1,889 first-year students have been admitted for the 2024-25 session. From DUCSU to JUCSU: Shibir’s winning streak rolls on The decision to start classes on September 21 was taken at a meeting of the central admission management committee, chaired by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, on August 13. The university’s Public Relations Office also confirmed that the vacant seats left after cancellation of some admissions were filled before finalizing the schedule for first-year classes.

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.

Vote counting in Jahangirnagar University (JU) Central Student Union (JUCSU) election concluded 42 hours after the end of balloting. Voting was scheduled to end at 5 pm on Thursday (Sept 11) at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall but due to long queues polling continued until 9 pm. The counting of votes finally ended at 2:40 pm. 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 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. JUCSU polls: Official results to be announced by 7pm today 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.

Results of the long-awaited Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) election are expected to be announced between 8pm and 10pm today. The Election Commission member secretary, Prof AKM Rashidul Alam, made the announcement. Vote counting of the election began on the night of September 11. The election ended amid allegations of ballot stuffing and administrative bias. The voting began at 9am on Thursday and was scheduled to end at 5pm. In some centers, voting had ended later than scheduled. As of Friday afternoon, vote counting was still underway. 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. Namaz-e-janaza of JU teacher to be held after Jumma prayers 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 contested 25 posts in the central union. Nine candidates vied 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.

Voting at Hall No 15 (previously known as  Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall) polling centre resumed around 1:30 pm on Thursday after a two-hour suspension following allegations of vote rigging during Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) elections. Students said polling at the hall was suspended around 12 pm after Sheikh Sadi Hasan, vice-president (VP) candidate backed by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), along with 7–8 activists, allegedly stormed the centre and forced female candidates out. JUCSU: Voting suspended at Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall Chief Election Commissioner Prof Maniruzzaman said voting was stopped in response to demands from other candidates after they protested against the incident. Balloting for the long-awaited JUCSU elections began at 9 am and is scheduled to continue until 5 pm.

Hafizur Rahman Sohan, vice-president of the central unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), was detained from Rabindranath Tagore Hall of Jahangirnagar University (JU) during the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) elections on Thursday. Professor Shafiqul Islam, provost of the hall, said students caught Sohan, a member of the university’s 36th batch, from a room around 11 am and handed him over to the proctorial body. Asked about his unauthorised stay in the residential hall, Sohan said, “I came to the campus at night. I wasn’t feeling well, so I was taking rest at the hall.” In reply to a query on whether he had sought permission, he admitted, “No, I didn’t take any permission.” JUCSU voting in progress amid festive spirit Prof Shafiqul said former students are not allowed to stay in residential halls during an election period as per the code of conduct. “That’s why we handed him over to the proctorial team,” he added. JU Proctor Prof Dr AKM Rashidul Alam said, “We sent security guards to bring him in. Action will be taken against him as per rules.” Voting for the long-awaited Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union elections is underway in a festive and peaceful atmosphere on Thursday.

Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) on Sunday night besieged the university’s medical centre protesting the authorities’ alleged delay in sending an ambulance following the death of a student of the university. The students blocked the main entrance of the university’s medical centre around 9:15 pm following the death of Zubair Hossain, a third-year student of the Anthropology Department. Zubair, who had been suffering from hemophilia, passed away on Sunday morning while undergoing treatment at Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar. Agitating students alleged that the university’s medical centre delayed sending an ambulance for Zubair on Saturday despite repeated calls which they believe contributed to the deterioration of his condition. According to his friends, Zubair suddenly fell ill on Saturday and went to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. After feeling somewhat better he contacted the university’s medical centre, requesting an ambulance to return to campus. However, he was told that the ambulance was out of order and could not be sent to Dhaka. Jahangirnagar University: Students struggle as mosquitoes take over After nearly four hours of waiting, Zubair finally managed to return to the campus using the university's ambulance. Later, as his condition worsened again with severe abdominal pain on Sunday, Zubair was taken to Enam Medical College Hospital where he died. A video recorded by Zubair himself shortly before his death went viral on social media sparking outrage among students and criticism of the university's healthcare services. Dr Md Shamsur Rahman, the chief medical officer of JU Medical Centre, said, “Everyone at the medical centre was aware of Zubair’s illness. We provided ambulance support whenever requested. However, it’s true that yesterday, when he needed an ambulance, there was a delay due to a shortage of vehicles. Only three ambulances are operational, and all were outside the campus at the time. As soon as one became available, it was sent for Zubair.” JU Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan expressed deep shock over Zubair’s death.