Chhatra Dal, Shibir hold counter programmes at CU

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir today (27 August) staged programmes countering one another on Chittagong University campus ahead of the CU Central Students' Union (CUCSU) election.

Chhatra Dal held a sit-in demanding the resignation of the university's Proctor Professor Dr Tanvir Mohammad Haider Arif and Acting Registrar Professor Dr Mohammad Saiful Islam. At the same time, Chhatra Shibir staged a protest march, accusing Chhatra Dal of conspiring to foil the Cucsu polls.

This afternoon (27 August), Chhatra Dal staged their sit-in in front of the administrative building, while at 12:30pm Shibir brought out a protest march from the Intellectual Square to the Cucsu building.

On 25 August, Chhatra Dal issued a press release accusing the proctor of "misogynistic attitude, controversial role, and open partisanship" which they said pose major obstacles to a fair Cucsu election. They demanded that the proctor and registrar be relieved of all responsibilities related to the polls."

Acting Registrar Saiful Islam reacted saying it was unreasonable to demand his resignation since he held no role in Cucsu affairs. Terming it defamatory, he also warned of possible legal action.

Chhatra Dal brought out a flash procession yesterday (26 August) in response. They also distributed leaflets listing demands including holding the Cucsu election and ensuring full residential facilities. 

During today's sit-in, Chhatra Dal President Alaudin Mohsin said, "Students are going to the administration with various demands but getting nothing beyond empty assurances. Night after night, we hear complaints about safety, while ordinary students face repeated attacks.

"Despite our repeated demands, the administration has taken no visible steps. Instead, the acting registrar mocked our demands and even threatened legal action last night. We reject this and strongly condemn it."

Meanwhile, in a statement last night, Chhatra Shibir sharply criticised and protested Chhatra Dal's recent activities, accusing them of conspiring to derail the Cucsu polls. CU Shibir President Mohammad Ali and Secretary Mohammad Parvez said in a joint statement, "Chhatra Dal deliberately tried to implicate Shibir in their memorandum. They made baseless claims of Shibir receiving undue privileges, without presenting any evidence. This is nothing but a planned conspiracy to discredit Shibir."

After holding the rally Wednesday, CU Shibir's Publicity Secretary Ishaq Bhuiyan said, "After our long programmes, the administration finally announced a tentative schedule for the polls. But we see one student organisation trying to destroy Cucsu. They are conspiring to derail the election. We won't accept this. We want the administration to announce the date quickly and conduct a smooth election."

Acting Registrar Saiful Islam said,  "I believe Cucsu should be held, because it's a platform for students to assert their demands. Student organisations have a responsibility to preserve an atmosphere conducive to that. Mud-slinging or turning non-issues into issues only harms the environment."