After more than a decade, the name of former general secretary of Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (Cucsu) and current Convener of Nagorik Oikya, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, has been reinstated on the union’s honour board.
According to university sources, on 23 February 2015, around 30 to 40 members of the Chhatra League, led by then Chittagong University unit general secretary MA Khaled Chowdhury, defaced Manna’s name on the honour board and removed his portrait from the university museum, declaring him “unwanted” on campus.
Though a new university administration took office in August 2024, the restoration of Manna’s name had not been addressed, even when he attended the university’s fifth convocation as a guest on 14 May, 2025, his name remained hidden.
However, amid recent student discussions on social media surrounding upcoming Cucsu elections, the administration finally took action. On 18 September, Manna’s name was officially rewritten and made visible again on the honour board.
Professor Dr Zahidur Rahman, director of the Cucsu Centre and a member of the university’s Election Commission, said, “As soon as I became aware of the issue recently, I ensured the name was rewritten. I was previously unaware of the matter regarding the honour board.”
Mahmudur Rahman Manna was elected General Secretary of Cucsu in 1972 as a candidate of the JASAD student wing Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal. He emerged as a key figure in student politics in the post-independence era.
Later, after enrolling at Dhaka University, he continued his political journey and was elected Vice President (VP) of DUCSU twice, in 1979 and 1980 , a rare achievement in the history of the institution.
