Dhaka: As the July Uprising reached its peak, a portrait of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina was hanging on the wall of the then Jahangirnagar University’s Bangla department chairperson’s office room as part of the official formality. Professor Dr Shamima Sultana, the department chair during the uprising, said she removed it on August 1, 2024, being led by her conscience which told her the picture no longer deserved to be hung in her office room.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Sultana described the removal as a personal act of ethical protest, believing that the picture should no longer remain hanging on her office wall. The move coincided with the second anniversary of the uprising that eventually toppled the Awami League government. Sultana emphasized that her actions were driven by a commitment to oppose injustice rather than political motivations.
“My participation in the July Uprising was not an isolated or sudden decision. It was a continuation of the values I upheld since my student days,” she stated. The professor supported previous movements, including the 2018 Quota Reform Movement, the Safe Roads Movement, and anti-graft protests on the university campus.
Sultana recounted a pivotal moment on the night of July 15, 2024, which she described as a turning point. Students were attacked at the Vice-Chancellor’s residence, and she felt there was no room left for silence. She joined fellow teachers in symbolic protests and remained alongside students on the streets until the movement concluded.
The professor revealed that she kept her office and the department chair’s room open to provide shelter during emergencies and allowed protestors to use the office’s Wi-Fi system for communication. Sultana said Abu Sayeed’s killing at Rangpur’s Begum Rokeya University and subsequent reports of civilian deaths fundamentally changed her perception of the situation.
She clarified that removing Hasina’s portrait was not an impulsive or emotional decision. “I felt that a government which failed to protect its citizens and instead used state power against them had lost its moral legitimacy,” she asserted.
When asked about potential consequences, Sultana expressed that her sense of responsibility became stronger than fear as she watched young people risking and losing their lives. The incident quickly gained nationwide attention after photographs of the portrait’s removal spread widely on social media.
Recalling a deeply personal moment, Sultana shared that her son embraced her after she returned home, telling her, “Mom, I’m proud of you.” However, the decision also triggered strong reactions, including abusive phone calls, threatening messages, personal attacks, and attempts to discredit her within the university.
Leaflets were distributed against her on the day of the incident, and the university Syndicate, the highest decision-making body, decided to issue her a show-cause notice, although Sultana never officially received it. After the change in university administration following August 5, the decision was revoked by the new Vice-Chancellor.
Reflecting on the episode, the professor stated that she never regretted her decision. “I do not consider it a personal achievement . . . It was simply a symbolic act of protest while standing against injustice was my duty as a teacher,” she concluded.