Chhatra Adhikar Parishad splits

A faction of Chhatra Adhikar Parishad yesterday left the organisation and formed a new one declaring the parishad's joint conveners Nurul Haque Nur, also former Ducsu vice-president, and Muhammad Rashed Khan personae non gratae.

They announced a 22-member convening committee for the new organisation and named it "Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad", the old name of Chhatra Adhikar Parishad.

"Expelled" joint convener of the Chhatra Adhikar Parishad, APM Suhel, made the announcement at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club.

Suhel is the convener of the new committee.

The faction alleged that Nur was doing "dirty politics with people's sentiments", accused him of opaque financial transactions, running the Chhatra Adhikar Parishad undemocratically, and politicising the rape case filed by a Dhaka University student.

Ismail Samrat, member secretary of the committee, said, "In February, Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, which led the quota reforms movement, was renamed Chhatra Adhikar Parishad. With the change in name, principles and norms of the organisation was also changed. The organisation is now being run arbitrarily.

He said Chhatra Adhikar Parishad had initiated the formation of three affiliated organisations -- Bangladesh Jubo Adhikar Parishad, Sharimik Adhikar Parishad and Prabasi Adhikar Parishad. "The aims and objectives of these organisations are still unknown to us."

Asked about the split, Nur said Suhel was expelled from the organisation. "And this [the split] might have been done to put pressure on us under the patronage or persuasion of the government … . However, everyone has the democratic right to form a new organisation. People will know which is real and which is fake."

Leaders of the new committee claimed that the expulsion of Suhel was the decision of a "DU syndicate" of Chhatra Adhikar Parishad, led by Nur.