The covert political undercurrents at Rajshahi University have once again exploded into public view following revelations that Salauddin Ammar, general secretary of the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (Rucsu), is an expelled member of Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Ammar, who won the GS post from “Adhipattyabirodhi Oikya” panel – widely discussed as a “dummy panel” created by Shibir – had secretly lost his “Sathi” status within the university branch of Shibir a year ago.
The hidden rift spilled into the open on Wednesday after three official expulsion letters written on branch Shibir letterhead circulated on social media, a development subsequently confirmed by Hafez Mehdi Hasan, general secretary of the RU branch of Shibir.
According to the documents, Ammar was expelled due to moral turpitude, indifference towards fundamental religious worship, free mixing with women, illegal financial transactions, misappropriation of funds, and engaging in activities contrary to the organisation’s principles.
The student organisation further mentioned that Ammar’s actions, alongside his involvement in criminal offences in specific instances, were creating severe instability across the campus.
Responding to his public expulsion in a Facebook post on Wednesday night, Ammar acknowledged his former association with Shibir’s cultural activities but vehemently denied any link to the current allegations.
Claiming that Shibir had failed to furnish any concrete evidence behind their claims, Ammar challenged the leadership of the student organisation to publicly prove the accusations levelled against him.
Rival student bodies decry ‘eyewash’
The revelation of Ammar’s revoked “Sathi” post has reignited fierce controversy surrounding his turbulent record over the past two years.
Rival student organisations on campus contend that Shibir used Ammar as an unacknowledged proxy to carry out controversial operations that it could not officially undertake under its own banner.
Leaders across the political spectrum argued that Shibir’s public distancing from Ammar is a calculated tactic to avoid organisational accountability and sow confusion amongst the general student body.
Severely criticising Shibir’s conduct, Sultan Ahmed Rahi, president of the RU branch of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, remarked that just as crematorium workers cannot digest food without the smell of stench, Shibir remains incapable of practising healthy politics without resorting to dirty tactics.
Concurrently, Mehdi Maroof, President of the RU branch of Chhatra Adhikar Parishad, dismissed the expulsion as mere eyewash.
Maroof asserted that Ammar was always an intrinsic part of Shibir who executed off-the-record assignments for the organisation, describing his formal expulsion as nothing more than another deceitful ploy.
A controversial trail of mobs, extortion, and violence
Ammar, who gained prominence as a slogan-giver during the July movement, has remained entrenched in widespread criticism due to a series of high-profile incidents following the uprising.
Starting with the post-July beating of Bangladesh Chhatra League members caught in residential halls, Ammar’s actions rapidly escalated to suspected involvement in mobbing faculty members, financial extortion, and a high-profile murder.
On 27 July last year, Ammar led an attack against a student inside the university’s Central Library after branding him a “Chhatra League” operative.
A video of Ammar threatening the student while wielding a spade went viral, prompting the university administration to form an investigation committee whose findings have yet to be submitted.
Ammar was implicated in the 7 September 2024 murder of Abdullah Al Masud, a former RU Chhatra League leader and university employee.
Ammar denied involvement, claiming he was at Boalia Police Station handling a separate rape case at the time and alleging that Chhatra League factionalism framed him out of vengeance.
Inspector Jalal Uddin, the investigating officer from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), confirmed that the murder probe remains active and highly confidential.
Confrontations with administration, political rivals
Ammar was also embroiled in extortion allegations after sending official letters to 70 commercial entities demanding Tk76 lakh under the guise of funding the “July 36, Muktir Utshob” concert at Rajshahi University, though he insisted the letters were merely formal proposal requests.
During the employee dependent quota agitation, Ammar allegedly led a siege on the residence of then Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Main Uddin, threw money at his vehicle, and physically assaulted him.
He also spearheaded demonstrations that forcibly confined the vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, faculty members, and administrative officers. On 21 December 2025, Ammar was accused of organising a mob that forced the resignation of pro-Awami League deans across six university faculties.
Later, in January this year, he was accused of tearing down a banner put up by Dr Nesar Uddin, President of the BNP-leaning RU Zia Parishad.
Most recently, on the night of 20 September, Ammar mobilised students to vandalise Rajshahi Railway Station following allegations that Railway Nirapatta Bahini personnel had assaulted an RU student.
Ammar defended the station vandalism by claiming he had taken a stand solely to enforce legitimate student demands.
