Chhatra Federation demands probe, action against Ducsu over 'distortion of history'

The Dhaka University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation today (15 September) demanded a proper investigation into alleged unauthorised changes and distortion of history at the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) historical archive and action against those responsible under university rules.

The organisation made the demand at a press conference held in front of the Swadhinata Sangram sculpture on Fuller Road on the Dhaka University campus this afternoon.

In a written statement, Sadiq Ahmed Masum, publicity and publication secretary of the DU unit of the federation, alleged that Ducsu leaders had distorted the history of the people's struggles in the region by presenting a speech delivered by Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 21 March 1948 as a historic statement at the archive.

However, the archive did not display, alongside Jinnah's photograph, any image commemorating the Dhaka University students' subsequent protest against his statement, including their slogan "Mani na, mani na" (We do not accept it), he said.

"Not placing a picture of that protest beside Jinnah's photograph is the politics of narrative. They want to present Jinnah in a way that serves their own narrative," Masum added.

He further said Jinnah had taken a position against the people of the region through the speech and questioned the intention of those who displayed his photograph as a historical image without showing the resistance against his position.

"In protest, we removed Jinnah's photograph from the Ducsu archive yesterday. As evidence of how someone who takes a position against the people can face public outrage, we placed a photograph of former Jamaat-e-Islami ameer and Razakar Ghulam Azam being beaten with shoes by people at the national mosque Baitul Mukarram," he said.

Arka Barua, organising secretary of the DU unit of the federation, said the Ducsu Liberation War and Research Affairs secretary, who is responsible for the archive, cannot avoid responsibility for the incident. "Similarly, our vice-chancellor, as the president of Ducsu, cannot avoid responsibility."

Barua also alleged that those seeking to reopen debates over what he described as largely settled issues surrounding 1947 and 1971 were attempting to create instability on the campus.

"Rather, through what we did yesterday, we have worked to make the campus more stable," he added.

Five demands

The organisation demanded a proper investigation into the alleged unauthorised changes and distortion of history at the Ducsu archive and action against those responsible under university rules.

It also demanded that the university publicly disclose a list of everything removed from the archive and restore the historical photographs and memorabilia that were removed.

The organisation called for the Swadhinata Sangram sculpture premises to be renovated before Victory Day and for all destroyed sculptures there to be reconstructed.

It further demanded measures to renovate and preserve all structures across the campus and legal action against organised mob violence across the country.

The demands come amid a controversy that began after the renovated Ducsu historical archive reopened on 13 September with photographs and newspaper clippings related to Jinnah, including his controversial 1948 declaration that Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan.

The display sparked protests on campus yesterday (14 September).

Around 2:30pm that day, fourth-year Urdu Department student Abu Toiyob Habildar tore two Jinnah photographs from the archive, saying Jinnah's opposition to Bengali and his role in the arrest of students at Curzon Hall in 1948 made him unsuitable for display there.

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.