DU condemns Jamaat leader’s remarks on DUCSU

The University of Dhaka (DU) authorities have strongly condemned and protested remarks by a Jamaat-e-Islami leader who described the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) as a “den of drugs and prostitution” prior to Islami Chhatra Shibir coming to power.

In a statement, the DU administration termed the comments obscene, vulgar, indecent and irresponsible, saying such remarks have severely harmed the university’s reputation, heritage and dignity.

The comments were made on Saturday night by Md Shamim Ahsan, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Barguna district unit, during an election rally in Patharghata for Jamaat candidate Sultan Ahmed in the Barguna-2 constituency.

At the rally, Ahsan claimed DUCSU had been involved in immoral activities before Shibir took control and that the organisation had “reformed” it.

Reacting to the statement, the university’s Public Relations Office, in a release signed by acting director Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, demanded an immediate withdrawal of the remarks.

The DU administration also urged all concerned to refrain from making such crude, misleading and irresponsible comments in the future, stressing that Dhaka University is a historic and prestigious institution whose image should not be undermined for political purposes.