National Citizen Party: A look at the top leaders' rise
Most of the top leaders began their political activism during the 2018 quota reform movement
Highlights:
- NCP launch at Manik Mia Avenue at 3pm today
- Top leaders emerged from 2018 quota reform movement and 2019 DUCSU elections
- NCP to be led by Nahid Islam, key figure in July uprising
- Families of July uprising martyrs, injured will attend NCP launch
- CA Yunus, political leaders, foreign diplomats invited
The top 11 leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) have been finalised. The leadership consists of student leaders who played major roles in last year's anti-discrimination movement, which in the face of a violent crackdown turned into a mass uprising and toppled the Awami League government.
A joint convener of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee (JANAC), asking not to be named, shared the names and their designations to The Business Standard today (28 February).
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Nahid Islam, a key coordinator of Students Against Discrimination (SAD) and a former adviser of the interim government, will lead the NCP as its convener.
JANAC spokesperson Samanta Sharmin and Ariful Islam Adib will serve as senior joint conveners of the party.
Akhtar Hossain, another coordinator of SAD, will be the member secretary. Dr Tasnim Jara and Nahida Sarwar Niba will serve as senior joint member secretaries.
SAD Convener Hasnat Abdullah will serve as the NCP chief organiser for the southern region while JANAC Chief Organiser Sarjis Alam as the chief organiser for the northern region.
JANAC Convener Nasiruddin Patwari will be the chief coordinator of NCP, and Abdul Hannan Masud will be the joint chief coordinator.
Additionally, JANAC co-spokesperson Saleh Uddin Sifat has been chosen as the party's office secretary.
JANAC Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar told The Business Standard today that the party's immediate goal is to establish a democratic state where the rights of all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or social background, are ensured.
"The party will focus on building a productive economy that opposes smuggling and corruption while providing special incentives for small and medium entrepreneurs," he said.
Additionally, the party plans to adopt several long-term programmes and initially, the number of the central committee members may range from 151 to 201, Sarwar added.
Political struggles of the top NCP leaders
Most of the top leaders of the NCP began their political activism during the 2018 quota reform movement and later under the banner of the Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad during the 2019 Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) elections.
Convener: Nahid Islam
Nahid Islam, the announcer of the 1-point demand during the July uprising, began his political journey by participating in the 2018 quota reform movement.
In the 2019 DUCSU elections, he ran for the position of Cultural Affairs Secretary under the Nurul-Rashed-Faruq panel but did not win. Following disagreements, Nahid left Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad.
On October 4, 2023, he became the central member secretary of a new non-partisan student organisation, Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti, at Dhaka University.
When the High Court scrapped the quota abolition circular on 5 June 2024, Nahid initiated a movement under the banner of SAD, serving as its chief coordinator.
During the anti-quota movement, Nahid was arrested twice. On 19 July, he was abducted by unidentified men in plain clothes from a friend's house, blindfolded, handcuffed, and subjected to severe torture.
Two days later, he found himself under a bridge in Purbachal and managed to return home by rickshaw. On 26 July, he was abducted again from Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in Dhanmondi.
Later, the then-home minister and former DMP commissioner Harun-or-Rashid said Nahid was taken into custody for security reasons.
After his release on 2 August, Nahid announced the 1-point demand on 3 August for the fall of Sheikh Hasina at the Central Shaheed Minar.
On 8 August, he was sworn in as a student representative and adviser to the interim government. He resigned on 25 February this year to take up the responsibilities of the new party.
Nahid was born in 1998 in Fakirkhali, near Dhaka. He completed his SSC from Dakkhin Banasree Model High School in 2014 and HSC from Government Science College in 2016.
He later enrolled in the Sociology Department at Dhaka University, completing his honours in 2022 and currently pursuing his master's degree.
Member Secretary: Akhtar Hossain
Akhtar Hossain, a law student, ranked 14th in the 'B' unit admission test at Dhaka University in the 2015-16 session. He began his activism by staging a hunger strike in protest against the alleged question paper leak during the university's admission test that year.
He later participated in the 2018 quota reform movement and won the Social Services Secretary position in the 2019 DUCSU elections under the Nurul Rashed panel of the Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad.
After leaving the Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, Akhtar led the formation of the Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti on 4 October 2023, serving as its convener.
However, the organisation was later dissolved. On the day of its launch, Akhtar was severely beaten by members of the Chhatra League.
During the 2024 movement, Akhtar was detained by police on 17 July ahead of a coffin procession at Dhaka University's TSC area. He was released on 5 August after the fall of Sheikh Hasina.
On 13 September 2024, Akhtar was appointed member secretary of JANAC.
Chief Coordinator: Nasiruddin Patwari
Nasiruddin Patwari, a student of the Marketing Department at Dhaka University (2013-14 session), gained attention for his sit-in protest at the Anti-terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture between January and February 2020, demanding an end to border killings.
He played a key role in organising the July uprising from behind the scenes and stood by Nahid Islam during the announcement of the 1-point demand on 3 August.
On September 13, 2024, Patwari was appointed convener of JANAC.
Chief Organiser (southern region): Hasnat Abdullah
Hasnat Abdullah, a prominent SAD coordinator was later appointed its convener.
He actively participated in the July uprising from the beginning.
A student of the English Department (2016-17 session) at Dhaka University, Hasnat gained attention in 2022 for staging a hunger strike against administrative corruption and delays at the university's Registrar Building.
He also taught English at various coaching centres.
During the quota movement, Hasnat was detained at the DB office on 26 July along with other coordinators.
Hasnat completed his SSC from Cumilla's Debidwar Government Raiyaz Uddin Pilot Model High School and HSC from Paruara Abdul Matin Khasru College.
Chief Organiser (northern region): Sarjis Alam
Sarjis Alam, a native of Panchagarh, was a student in the Zoology Department at Dhaka University during the 2016-17 academic year.
His home is in Bamankumar village, located in the border area of Atwari Upazila in Panchagarh. He completed his SSC from Alowakhoa Tribal School and College and his HSC from BAF Shaheen College in Dhaka.
In 2019, Sarjis was elected as a member of the Amar Ekushey Hall committee under the Chhatra League panel. However, he stepped away from student politics in 2022.
In 2023, he received an award in table tennis from Amar Ekushey Hall. Sarjis has also earned a reputation as a skilled debater, winning the National Debate Competition in 2022 under the Dhaka University Debating Society.
He has been associated with various debating platforms, including Bangladesh Television Debate Competitions, Rokeya Debate Arena, Bijoy 71 Debating Club, Social Welfare Debating Club, and Poet Jasimuddin Hall Debating Club.
As one of the SAD coordinators, Sarjis was detained at the DB office on 26 July along with other coordinators. He served as the general secretary of the July Martyrs' Memorial Foundation from 21 October 2024, until his resignation on 22 January 2025.
During this time, on 9 December, he also took on the role of chief organiser of JANAC.
Senior Joint Convener: Ariful Islam Adib
Ariful Islam Adib has experience serving as the Central General Secretary of the Chhatra Odhikar Parishad. In 2023, he was the coordinator of the Anti-Fascist Students' Solidarity, formed through the collaboration of 16 student organisations.
His political journey began in 2018 during the quota reform movement, where he served as the joint convener of the Jahangirnagar University (JU) branch.
In 2019, he was an organiser of a movement against corruption in JU. Adib was a member of the manifesto drafting committee and a founding organiser of Gono Odhikar Parishad.
In his political struggles, Adib has been subjected to torture multiple times by the Awami League and its banned student organisation, Chhatra League.
In 2019, during an attack by Chhatra League on the DACSU building, Adib suffered severe kidney damage, requiring dialysis, and nearly lost his eyesight.
During the July uprising, he played a crucial role in providing information about the movement to international media despite the internet shutdown, leading to three attempted enforced disappearances by law enforcement agencies.
Adib also served as a member of the Liaison Committee of SAD. Additionally, he played a significant role as an organiser in the formation of JANAC.
In his professional life, Adib worked as a freelance writer for various national newspapers from 2016 to 2019. Since 2020, he has been working as a broadcast journalist and multimedia journalist in various media outlets.
Born in Barishal's Mehendiganj, Adib passed his higher secondary education in 2013 and later joined the Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University in the 2013-14 session. Currently, he is serving as the joint convener of JANAC.
Joint Chief Coordinator: Abdul Hannan Masud
Abdul Hannan Masud, one of the SAD coordinators, gained attention when six of its key coordinators were detained at the DB office in July last year.
During that time, Masud announced the movement's programmes via video statements.
Masud began his political journey in 2023 with Gonotantrok Chhatra Shakti, which emerged under the leadership of Akhtar Hossain and Nahid Islam.
Following the July uprising, on 22 October 2024, he was appointed the chief organiser of SAD's four-member Central Convening Committee.
Masud is currently studying in the English Language Teaching Department under the Institute of Modern Languages at DU, enrolled in the 2019-20 academic session. His ancestral home is in Noakhali's Hatia.
