BUET’s ‘controversial’ Journalists’ Association committee disbanded

The 2023-24 Committee of the Executive Council of Bangladesh University of Engineering (BUET) co-curricular club BUET Journalists Association has been dissolved.

Assistant director of student welfare of the university on Sunday. This information has been informed in a circular signed by Rupak Mutsuddi.

It says, “Due to unavoidable reasons, the Executive Council 2023-24 Committee of the University’s co-curricular club BUET Journalists Association has been declared dissolved.”

Professor Mohammad Al Amin Siddique, Director of BUET’s Department of Student Welfare, told bdnews24.com on Monday, “The committee has been abolished. Now for the time being no new committee is being given. A decision will be made regarding the committee after reviewing the scope of the association after looking at the constitution.”

Members of BUET Journalists Association are not involved in journalism in any national media like members of other journalists associations in the country. They have their own news portal and Facebook page, where they disseminate news and information related to BUET.

There is an allegation of spreading rumors and misinformation on the BUET campus through this news portal and Facebook page on behalf of the association. Moreover, among the 34 people who were arrested by the police for their involvement in anti-state activities in Tangua Haor, among them were six members including the general secretary of the journalists’ association.

The six accused are Main Uddin, Fahadul Islam, Mahmudul Hasan, Khalid Ammar, Tanveer Arafat Fahim and Saad Adnan Api.

On July 31, 2023, the police arrested 34 students of various educational institutions, including 24 students of BUET, who came from Dhaka to Tanguar Haor of Sunamganj. In whose name the case is still pending in the court and they are on bail.

The police claim that the arrested persons are associated with the politics of Islami Chhatrashibir. They went there to hold secret meetings and anti-government conspiracies on their way to Howar.

When Moin Uddin, general secretary of the recently defunct BUET Journalists’ Association, was called to inquire about this, his number was found to be switched off.

Although it was established as a co-curricular club, why is the name of the organization Journalist Samiti, the president of the recently dissolved committee said. Himu told bdnews24.com, “BUET Journalists Association was established in 2013 as a co-curricular club. Since its inception it is known as BUET Journalists Association.

“We cannot say why it has been named Journalists’ Association. Only those who established it can say.”

On October 6, 2019, Abrar Fahad, a resident student of BUET’s Sher Bangla Hall, was taken to the room of a BCL leader and tortured to death. Buet became furious at that incident. Student politics was banned in BUET in the face of student movement.

On the late night of March 28, when a group of activists including the central president of the Chhatra League entered the BUET campus, the students started a movement. As part of the movement, the students boycotted the class-examination from March 29 to April 3 with six-point demands.

Imtiaz Hossain Rahim Rabbi Hall seat of 21st batch student of Civil Engineering Department and member of Central Committee of Chhatra League was canceled in the face of students’ demands. The students complained that the rabbi had arranged for the gathering of Chhatra League leaders in the campus.

Later, the High Court suspended the decision to cancel the hall seat on the writ petition of the student. In his separate petition, the High Court also suspended the ban on student politics in BUET. It opens the way for student politics to return to this school of engineering education. However, no organization including Chhatra League has publicly given committee to BUET.

Eid holiday starts from April 4 in Buet. BUET campus opened on April 17 after 13 consecutive days of Eid and Pahela Baisakh holidays. Even though the official activities started from that day, the students continued to boycott the exams demanding a ‘student politics free’ campus. The Bangladesh University of Engineering (BUET) authorities have suspended the ongoing examination as the students did not participate in the examination.

Meanwhile, before the opening of the campus, Professor Mizanur Rahman, director of the Department of Student Welfare (DSW) of BUET, was removed on April 16 in the face of students’ demands. Professor of Civil Engineering Mohammad Al Amin Siddique has been given new responsibility in this post. Despite this, the students did not return to academic activities.

According to the agitating students, they will return to academic activities if an appeal is filed against the High Court’s order suspending the decision to ban student politics in BUET and a new date for the boycotted examination is fixed.