Dhaka University
What reforms came in 'DUCSU’ and ‘JUCSU' elections
A day after the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election, the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) election was also boycotted by the panel backed by BNP’s student wing, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. At around 3:30 pm on Thursday, an hour and a half before the end of polling, they announced their boycott. Their allegation was that the election was not being conducted properly because of widespread irregularities, vote rigging and administrative bias. The panel’s General Secretary (GS) candidate Tanzila Hossain Baishakhi said, ‘From the very beginning we feared it would be a staged election.’
DUCSU Election: Hopes, obstacles, possibilities on path of democracy
If democracy is to be properly evaluated, its practice should begin in educational institutions. Especially at Dhaka University, which is called the centre of the country’s political history, the free election of student organisations is the first laboratory of democratic practice. Many had thought that this year’s DUCSU election could be a new beginning. But the reality shows that obstacles have arisen here too.
What impact could this DUCSU election have on future politics of Bangladesh
From 1924 to 2025, in the hundred-year history of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU), is this year’s DUCSU election going to be the most important? It is difficult to determine which historical events are more significant than others. Often such decisions cannot be made immediately. In the long course of history, many important events fade into obscurity, while some seemingly minor issues shine brightly. Perspective, analysis, bias—all combine to produce different interpretations of events. Even so, it can clearly be said that DUCSU has played a notable role in our national liberation movement, and especially in shaping the society, culture and politics of the Bengali middle-class educated Muslims after Partition.
The Unfinished Autobiography is indeed written by Bangabandhu
Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque. Renowned essayist in the Bangla language, social analyst, literary critic and political thinker. He is currently serving as the President of the Bangla Academy. This former professor of the Department of Bangla at Dhaka University spoke to Views Bangladesh on several recent issues. The interview was conducted by Views Bangladesh Editorial Assistant Shahadat Hossain Towhid.
An open letter to the chief adviser
Dear Sir, With due respect, I state that throughout my life I have tried to live quietly as a law-abiding citizen. At the beginning of life, I was not much attracted to studies, nor was the environment favourable. My grandfather, Alauddin Siddiqui, held the flag of the Congress with Mahatma Gandhi, and in the 1940s with Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah under the Muslim League, in the Pakistan Movement. Sadly, my grandfather Alauddin Siddiqui did not live to see the independence of Pakistan. He passed away before Pakistan was created. Just before its birth, on 14 June 1947, I was born. At one time I took pride that my birth coincided with the birth of Pakistan. As a child, I celebrated Pakistan Day with joy, lighting clay lamps at our village and town houses. Sometimes I lit small candles in a failed attempt to ignite the light of freedom within my heart.
Is there still more to come after Bibhuranjan Sarkar’s tragic departure
Journalist and columnist Bibhuranjan Sarkar went missing on Thursday (21 August). The following day, police recovered his body from the Meghna River at Gazaria in Munshiganj. I first learnt of his disappearance from writer Linu Haque’s Facebook post, and shortly afterwards saw the news of his disappearance spread across Facebook. I called his classmate at Dhaka University and political fellow traveller Jiban Krishna Saha, but he could not say where Bibhuranjan Sarkar’s residence was. I realised then that society had long ceased to have any use for Bibhuranjan Sarkar.
Can interim govt be called govt of spirit of mass uprising
The 2024 student-people’s uprising was a spontaneous mass uprising. Some try to call it a revolution; but there is no scope to call it a revolution, it was simply a mass uprising. The uprising began with protests against quota discrimination in jobs. When the government tried to suppress that anti-discrimination movement in a fascist manner, it carried out the July Massacre. As a result, the anti-discrimination movement first turned into the ‘Nine-Point’ and later into the ‘One-Point’ movement. In this mass uprising Jahangirnagar University played a very significant role.
The more opposition to Bangabandhu, the more he will shine
I first saw Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in person on September 26, 1964, when I had just enrolled in the first year of Higher Secondary at Gurudayal College, Kishoreganj. At that time, Ayub Khan was the President of Pakistan, and Monayem Khan was the Governor. That day, Bangabandhu visited Kishoreganj. He delivered a speech at the Rangmahal Cinema Hall to a small audience, perhaps a hundred people. With him that day were Rafiquddin Bhuiyan, general secretary of Mymensingh District Awami League, Shah Moazzem Hossain, and several other Awami League leaders.
July 36: The chronicle of an unprecedented mass uprising
On August 5, 2024, through an unprecedented mass movement, the long-standing fascist autocratic regime of Hasina came to an end. The students and the public referred to this movement as the “July Movement”. This was because the movement intensified throughout the month of July. Even after the end of July, the protesters continued to count days as July 32, July 33, July 34, July 35. This was because August is the month of mourning for the Awami League. The protesters wanted instead to keep alive the memory of the martyrs of July. Every day, countless people across various regions of Bangladesh were being killed by law enforcement agencies. The government's repression eventually reached an extreme level. In an attempt to suppress the movement, the government initiated a horrific massacre. The Awami League government killed nearly 1,500 people. The sight of such a procession of death transformed the student protests into a mass uprising. Sheikh Hasina, who had been in power for over 15 years, fled to India on t
Hold elections of central student unions of all universities
This is because such elections are immensely important in nurturing future leadership in the country. It is often said that DUCSU is the breeding ground for political leadership. Many of the country's political leaders had their initiation into politics on the Dhaka University campus. By contesting in DUCSU elections, these leaders began their journey in representative politics. For this reason, DUCSU was once called the second parliament of the country.