Review committee makes no progress in five months

Five months have passed since a review committee was formed to prepare a policy for Chittagong University Central Students Union (Cucsu), but there has been no progress. 

After 29 years, former CU Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury on March 20 declared to organise Cucsu polls.

On March 21, the university authority formed a five-member committee headed by Science Faculty Dean Prof Mohammad Shafiul Alam to prepare a policy after analysing different public universities’ policies regarding student unions. The committee was asked to complete this task as soon as possible.

Leaders of different student organisations were happy to hear that announcement, but now they have expressed their dissatisfaction over the lack of progress.

Terming the committee unsuccessful, CU unit Chhatra Union President Drishon Pradip Chakma demanded that the review committee be cancelled immediately. He urged the authorities to organise Cucsu polls with the existing policy, adding that otherwise they will announce a tougher movement in association with general students.

“Cucsu related activities were stopped due to the review committee,” said Iqbal Tipu, general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s (BCL) CU unit.

“It seems that the university administration does not want the Cucsu polls,” he said, “If they did, they wouldn’t delay it in the name of a review committee.”

CU unit Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) General Secretary Shahidul Islam claimed the review committee was just an “eye-wash.”

As the students were staging demonstration for Cucsu polls, the university authority formed a so-called review committee to stop their movement, he said.

Demanding cancellation of the current review committee, Shahidul said the university needs to form a new, functional committee with experts and demanded Cucsu polls immediately.

Head of the review committee, Prof Mohammad Shafiul Alam, switched off his mobile phone after this correspondent asked about the committee’s report.

Prof Amir Mohammad Nasrullah, a member of the review committee said the committee members held three meetings and collected the policies of Dhaka University, Rajshahi University and Jahangirnagar University’s student unions.

“It was decided unanimously that we will place a draft policy after analysing those policies,” he said, adding that they could not sit further as the head of the committee did not fix another date.

Contacted, CU acting VC Prof Shireen Akhter said the matter is out of her purview, as she has just been performing routine duty as acting VC.

Cucsu polls were last held in 1990, where an all-party students’ panel had defeated Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.

But within a few months of the poll, CU authority postponed all activities of Cucsu due to the murder of Chatra Oikkya leader Farukuzzaman.