Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) has announced a programme to surround the vice-chancellor’s office, demanding the renaming of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall and Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall.
Ducsu said through its official Facebook page on Saturday that the encirclement programme would be carried out on Sunday to press the demands.
Among the demands raised by Ducsu are renaming Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall as Shaheed Osman Hadi Hall, renaming Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall as Felani Hall, and taking administrative action against teachers, officers and employees who supported the July massacre.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall of Dhaka University was established in 1988. Later, when the Awami League government came to power, the words “Father of the Nation” were added to the name of the hall.
After the fall of the Awami League government following the July mass uprising last year, students demanded that the hall be renamed Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall. They also hung banners bearing that name.
However, most recently, at around 2:30 am on Friday, leaders of the hall parliament hung a banner reading “Shaheed Osman Hadi Hall” at the main gate of the hall, demanding a name change.
Regarding the issue, Hall Parliament Vice President Md Muslimur Rahman told TIMES of Bangladesh, “Our Sharif Osman Hadi was martyred while fighting against Indian aggression. The cultural fascists at whose hands Hadi bhai was martyred are currently in hiding in Delhi.”
“The father of these cultural fascists is Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. That is why we want to remove their names and rename the hall after Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi.”
Hall Parliament General Secretary Al Sabah said they would place a demand before the administration to include the issue on the agenda of the next syndicate meeting.
He said that although memorandums had earlier been submitted to the vice-chancellor on two occasions, the demands had not been implemented.
