Dhaka: An undergraduate student of Dhaka University on Monday tore down and damaged three photographs of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah displayed at the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) museum, protesting their inclusion in the museum. Abu Tayeb Habilder, a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Department of Urdu at the university, went to the DUCSU museum with his two children and damaged a framed portrait of Jinnah around 2:30 pm.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Habilder, who had also contested the 2025 DUCSU election as an independent candidate for the vice-president post, was reportedly the oldest candidate in the election. He subsequently removed the photograph from its frame and tore it apart. He then damaged two other Jinnah-related photographs displayed at the museum, removing them from their frames and tearing them.
During the incident, Tayeb questioned why DUCSU had displayed photographs of Jinnah while leaving out the 'real heroes' of the Language Movement. He expressed his discontent, stating, "The Jinnah who wanted to take away our mother tongue - how can his photograph be displayed here? DUCSU Vice-President Sadik Kayem, do you want to make Urdu the state language?"
Tayeb also accused Jinnah of opposing the Bangla language and described him as a 'villain of history' and a key figure responsible for the persecution of Bengalis. He cited Jinnah's visit to the University of Dhaka in 1948, where he opposed the Bangla language, and recounted how Jinnah's followers and administration had mistreated the students of Dhaka University during the Language Movement, leading to the arrest of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Referring to the DUCSU election manifesto, Tayeb questioned whether the elected leaders promised to 'make Jinnah a hero' and display his photograph in a place as significant as the DUCSU museum. He emphasized the sacrifices made by the 'children of 1971' and the children of language martyrs, stating that they did not fight to establish Jinnah's legacy at the university.
The DUCSU museum, which was reopened on Sunday following renovation, added three new Jinnah-related exhibits to its collection, sparking widespread discussion and criticism. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and several left-leaning student organisations have condemned and protested against the display of the photographs of Jinnah at the DUCSU museum.