DU students trample Jinnah, Ghulam Azam photos at Ducsu, archive entrances
A group of students from the university's 105th batch (2025-26 academic session) organised the protest around noon (15 September).
A group of Dhaka University students have placed photographs of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ghulam Azam on the floor at the entrance to the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) building and its historical archive, and trampled on them in protest against the display of Jinnah's photographs at the archive.
The protest was organised by a group of students from the university's 105th batch (2025-26 academic session) around this noon (15 September).
Shibbir Ahmed, a student of the History Department, alleged that Ducsu was attempting to "question Bangladesh's independence" by promoting what he described as pro-Pakistan figures.
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He said the Ducsu Liberation War Affairs secretary's election manifesto had pledged to highlight the Liberation War, but a photograph of a "pro-Pakistan" figure had instead been displayed prominently in the Ducsu archive.
"We have placed photographs of Ghulam Azam, Jinnah and other pro-Pakistan figures under our feet, and this protest will continue," Shibbir added.
He also alleged that attempts were being made to replace the use of photographs of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in political activities with those of Jinnah and Ghulam Azam.
Ash Shams, a student of the English for Speakers of Other Languages Department, said an earlier controversy began when Jinnah was honoured by Inqilab Mancha on the occasion of his death anniversary, and Ducsu Liberation War Affairs Secretary Jhuma shared a related poster on social media.
He alleged that after Jinnah's photographs were removed from the Ducsu archive, Jhuma again posted on Facebook claiming that photographs were being removed and the archive was being vandalised.
"How much regret can they have over the removal of Jinnah's photograph?" Shams said.
He added that the elected Ducsu representatives had received a mandate from ordinary students and should therefore stand for Bangladesh and those who support the country.
The latest protest follows a controversy that began after the renovated Ducsu historical archive reopened on 13 September with photographs and newspaper clippings related to Jinnah, including his 1948 declaration that Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan.
The display sparked protests on campus yesterday (14 September).
Around 2:30pm yesterday, fourth-year Urdu Department student Abu Toiyob Habildar tore two Jinnah photographs from the archive. He said Jinnah's opposition to Bengali and his role in the arrest of students at Curzon Hall in 1948 made him unsuitable for display at the archive.
Later, the Dhaka University unit of Chhatra Dal gave the university administration 24 hours to remove the Jinnah photographs, threatening protest programmes if they were not removed.
Around 3pm the same day, the Dhaka University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation placed a photograph of Ghulam Azam being beaten with shoes at the archive in protest against the display of Jinnah's photographs.
Following the protests and counter-actions, the university administration formed three investigation committees to look into the incidents.
