JU students issue 48hrs ultimatum to ban politics on campus

A group of Jahangirnagar University students have issued a 48-hour ultimatum to ban all kinds of politics on the campus. 

The students issued the ultimatum at a protest march in front of the Shaheed Minar square at 3:00pm with a one-point demand to ban on-campus politics.

They called on the university administration to urgently hold a syndicate meeting within the next 48 hours and impose the ban, our JU correspondent reports.

The call from JU students comes following the lynching of former Chhatra League leader Shamim Mollah, also a former JU student, on the campus earlier this week.

Speakers at today's protest programme said allegations have risen that Chhatra Dal activists were involved in the lynching of Shamim. 

At least five Chhatra Dal activists are accused of being involved in the incident.

"We do not want to be bound by a new chain after breaking away from the old chains," said one speaker.

Also speaking on the occasion, history department student Shakil Islam said, "When the new vice-chancellor was appointed, we met him. He promised to do whatever the students want. All students, including myself, want an end to student politics. We want the authorities to fulfil our demand as soon as possible."

Marketing department student Imran Shahriar said, "We want to know when authorities will ban student politics and hold the Jahangirnagar University Central Student Union election."

Stating that no cases have been filed over the attacks on students and teachers on the JU campus on 15 and 17 July, he said, "We want the vice-chancellor's words on when the cases will be filed… We want politics by students, teachers, and staff banned within 48 hours."

Newly appointed JU VC Prof Kamrul Ahsan later arrived at the protest march.

"After being appointed as the vice-chancellor, I tried to prioritise relatively more important tasks. Several administrative posts in the university were vacant. Those were filled on the 17th. We will decide on the demands of the students next Sunday. We will definitely prioritise the demands of the students," he said on the occasion.

The students left the spot following assurance from the VC.

Anti-Discrimination Student Movement 'rejected'

Meanwhile, students at the protest programme also rejected the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, which spearheaded the July uprising that saw the ouster of the Awami League-led government.

JU students said the anti-discrimination movement platform was created to eliminate all discrimination that plagued the Awami regime.

However, they said some coordinators of the platform are now working outside the interests of students. 

JU's English Department student Hafizur Rahman said, "I actively participated in the anti-discrimination movement. I was hospitalised for a month with injuries received during the movement. No coordinators reached out to me during this time. When my friend Shakil got hit with bullets, no one called him."

He went on to say that a few days earlier, another student had died while protecting the coordinators from the attacks of Ansar movement. 

"... The coordinators laid him to rest, and came to the spotlight by holding meetings. But no one later communicated with the deceased's family."

Hafiz demanded that the JU unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement be dissolved immediately.

"If necessary, the coordinators can resign. Otherwise, they will be forced to resign. General students will make them do it. We are not on the left nor on the right. We want to end student politics," he said.

Student politics banned across campuses

Meanwhile, the Dhaka University authorities yesterday (18 September) banned all political activities on campus for an indefinite period following the lynching of a youth on suspicion of theft. 

Besides, several universities and medical colleges have also banned on-campus politics during and after the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

Such educational institutions include the Rajshahi University, Comilla University, Begum Rokeya University, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Chittagong Medical College, Sir Salimullah Medical College, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology,  Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Noakhali University of Science and Technology, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University, and the Bangladesh Textile University.

Besides, student politics was also banned at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology following the killing of Abrar Fahad on the campus.