MAHATHIR MOHAMMED

Although nearly all of the top positions in Dhaka University’s 18 hall unions were won by independent candidates, most of them are affiliated with either Islami Chhatra Shibir or Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad (BGCS).

Shibir dominated the male dormitories, while BGCS led in the female hall unions.

The Daily Star found that of the 36 top posts of vice presidents (VP) and general secretaries (GS) in the hall unions, 20 are affiliated with Shibir and 10 with BGCS.

Interestingly, 21 of them were involved with the “disciplinary committees” or “reform committees” that were unofficially formed in the halls after the July 2024 uprising.

One has affiliation with Chhatra Odhikar Parishad -- Salimullah Muslim (SM) Hall’s GS-elect Sadman Abdullah.

Most organisations, except Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, did not field panels in the hall unions.

Only Jagannath Hall’s VP-elect, Pallab Chandra Barman, won from the JCD panel. The GS-elect there, Sudeepto Pramanik, won as an independent.

Including Sudeepto, only four were identified as “true independents”. The other three are from female hall unions, or their affiliations could not be confirmed by this newspaper.

Except for Jagannath Hall union, all other male dormitories elected Shibir men as either VP or GS. Out of 13 male dorms, 12 hall unions elected Shibir men as their leaders.

In eight of these halls, both VP and GS posts went to candidates affiliated with Shibir.

The eight dormitories are -- Surja Sen Hall, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, Kabi Jasimuddin Hall, Bijoy Ekattor Hall, Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall, Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, Amar Ekushey Hall, and Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall.

In addition, Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall’s GS-elect Asif Imam, Sir AF Rahman Hall’s VP-elect Rafiqul Islam, SM Hall’s VP-elect Zayedul Haque, and Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall’s VP-elect Ahsan Habib Imroze are also affiliated with Shibir.

In these male dormitories, except for the SM Hall union, the three remaining top posts went to candidates affiliated with BGCS.

Among the five female dormitories, BGCS activists secured the top six posts in three halls -- Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall, Shamsun Nahar Hall, and Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall.

In addition, Ruqayyah Hall’s GS-elect Sinthia Mehrin Sokal is affiliated with BGCS. The VP-elect of this hall, Fatematul Jannat Ima, along with Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall’s VP-elect Tasnim Akter Alif Nabila and GS-elect Nishita Jaman Niha, have no known organisational affiliation.

INVOLVEMENT WITH DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEES

Following the July uprising, Shibir and BGCS took control of the unofficial “disciplinary committees” or “reform committees” in halls, posing as general students, according to students.

These committees were involved in various hall-related issues over the years, which gave Shibir and BGCS an advantage in the elections.

When Chhatra Dal announced its hall committees on August 9, students protested, saying they did not want student politics in the dormitories.

However, it appeared that other parties also had candidates in the halls but did not announce them. Chhatra Dal earlier raised concerns over this issue, saying this breached the level playing field.

Although the “disciplinary committees” were declared dissolved in March this year, provosts from different halls flagged the issue in an August 25 meeting with the Ducsu election commission, saying the committees were still active in some places.

These committees were initially formed with representatives from each batch of residential students of respective halls in the absence of regular administration. Later, after new appointments of hall administrations, the authorities endorsed the committees.

But following questions from different stakeholders, the Provost Standing Committee in two separate meetings -- one in March and another in August -- decided to dissolve the committees.

Still, during the August 25 meeting with the Ducsu Election Commission, some provosts reported that certain hall authorities had yet to dissolve them.

The committee members were engaged in driving out Chhatra League activists and students involved in “partisan politics” from the halls.

They also carried out administrative duties such as recommending students for or against seat allocations.

Kawser Hamid, a GS candidate for Sir AF Rahman Hall Union from the JCD panel, alleged that the hall administration deliberately delayed his seat allocation because of his political affiliation. His residency was approved only three months before the elections, which he said undermined a level playing field.

“Despite the promises from the Sringkhala Committee members of our hall that they would not run for the elections, they are now vying for the top positions,” said Kawser before the polls took place.

Sheikh Md Imrun Hossen, who resigned from such a committee in Ziaur Rahman Hall, wrote in a Facebook post on May 14 that most committee members belonged to a specific political organisation.

“It is irrational to represent students in the name of general students,” he also wrote.

The committees also tried to win residential students’ trust by offering personal assistance and taking initiatives such

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