DU removes photos of convicted war criminals from Shibir's July exhibition amid protests
Later in the evening, tension escalates on DU campus as Shibir, leftist student organisations chant counter-slogans
Bite-Sized: What happened at TSC over the display of war criminals' pictures?
The Dhaka University administration today (5 August) removed photographs of convicted war criminals from the 'Special Photo Exhibition' organised by Islami Chhatra Shibir, following protests by a group of students, including leaders and activists from left-leaning student organisations.
The removal took place around 6:30pm in presence of Assistant Proctor and Associate Professor Dr Rafiqul Islam.
Mazharul Islam, human resources development secretary of Shibir's DU unit, agreed to the removal of the photos during discussions with the university administration.
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Islami Chhatra Shibir is the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and most of the convicted war criminals were top leaders of the party.
To mark the anniversary of the July Uprising, the Dhaka University unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir organised a three-day art exhibition at the TSC. The exhibition featured various illustrations related to the uprising, a symbolic Ganabhaban, and a model of the 'July Express' intercity train.
Alongside these, a section titled 'Judicial Murder' displayed photographs of convicted war criminals, including Matiur Rahman Nizami, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, Abdul Quader Molla, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, Mir Quasem Ali, Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid.
Around 5:30pm, a group of students, including activists from leftist student organisations, began protesting upon seeing the display of what they described as "opponents of independence".
Assistant Proctor Rafiqul Islam soon arrived at the scene. Following discussions and with the consent of a Shibir leader, the proctorial team removed the contentious photographs.
During the protest, students chanted slogans such as "My land is my mother, it won't be for Razakars," "Hasina and Azhar, traitors of Bangladesh," and "Enemies of '71 are enemies of Bangladesh; enemies of '24 are enemies of Bangladesh."
Speaking to reporters, Assistant Proctor Rafiqul Islam said, "A section of our university students lodged complaints. We called the organisers and removed the photos. They cooperated with us."
Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed told The Business Standard, "We were not informed that such content would be included. As soon as it came to our attention, I contacted the organisers from Shibir and dispatched an assistant proctor to take action."
Tension escalates on DU campus as Shibir, leftist student groups chant counter-slogans
Later in the evening, tensions flared on the DU campus over the exhibition.
Around 9pm, Shibir activists were seen occupying the main entrance of the TSC area, while left-leaning student organisations gathered near the Payra Chattar, chanting slogans in protest. For a while, both groups engaged in counter-sloganeering.
Nuzia Hasin Rasha, president of the Dhaka University unit of Biplobi Chatro Moitri, told The Business Standard that they planned to hold a protest march soon.
As of 9:35pm, left-leaning student leaders and activists were still staging demonstrations and chanting slogans, while inside the TSC auditorium, DU Chhatra Shibir was holding a press conference explaining their position regarding the day's incident.
