Dhaka: Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) has condemned and strongly protested the display of a controversial photograph of Muhammad Ali Jinnah from 1948 at the historical museum of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU). In a press statement, JCD highlighted that Jinnah, standing at then Racecourse Maidan, now Suhrawardy Udyan, on March 21, 1948, had declared that 'only Urdu will be the state language of Pakistan.'
According to United News of Bangladesh, Dhaka University students immediately protested against Jinnah's statement, which later became a fundamental basis for the Language Movement and the Liberation War. JCD stated that displaying the photograph of Jinnah, a controversial figure, at the DUCSU museum, the birthplace of the movement for Bengali self-determination, insults the legacy of the Language Movement and the independence movement.
JCD expressed concern over the current DUCSU leadership's failure to address students' accommodation crises, ensure their basic rights, and create a proper educational environment. The organization alleged that the current DUCSU leadership is using the council to implement its own political and ideological agenda instead of prioritizing students' legitimate interests.
JCD criticized the DUCSU leadership for its actions, such as attempting to change the name of Madhur Canteen to 'Ishrat Manzil' and installing Jinnah's photograph at the DUCSU museum. These activities, according to JCD, demonstrate the council's abandonment of students' aspirations and the university's spirit of liberation while showing a covert affinity toward the forces defeated in 1971 and its affinity for Pakistan.
JCD President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir demanded the immediate removal of Jinnah's photograph from the DUCSU museum. They also urged that DUCSU not be used as a platform for promoting any particular political group's ideology. They emphasized that any attempts to distort the historical landmarks and spirit of Dhaka University, including the historic Madhur Canteen, would be resisted. JCD vowed to join with general students to build a united resistance against any forces that threaten the progressive spirit, history, and heritage of the university.