Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, a segment of Dhaka University (DU) students expressed their discontent by calling for a total ban on party politics on the campus, citing dark spells of torture, intimidation, extortion by political elements belonging to the then ruling parties.
However, this once loud demand has diminished to a whisper after the public appearance of leaders from the DU unit of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir last month.
Talking to The Daily Observer, student leaders claimed that many of the general students advocating for a ban on student politics were, in fact, affiliated to Shibir.
They argued that Shibir stands to benefit regardless of whether party politics is banned or allowed on the campus.
For the past 15 years, Shibir has engaged in underground political activities. If politics were to be prohibited on the campus, they could operate with little interference, running their activities in secrecy.
Conversely, they also found no issue with being allowed to function openly, one leader noted.
In contrast, Shibir leaders contended that their political activities were dehumanised and that the killings of their activists and torture on them were unjustly justified by the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), which tarnished their public image.
DU Shibir President Md Abu Shadik came to limelight on September 21 when he, alongside leaders from other student organisations, participated in a dialogue with the university administration.
The following day, Secretary SM Farhad made a public appearance, and on October 2, Shibir unveiled its full-fledged committee.
Student leaders speculate that Shibir initiated programmes prior to September 21 to gauge the nature of political demands emerging from the student body.
However, leaders from all parties, including Shibir, advocate for reforms in student politics rather than a total ban.
"We learned from student Coordinator Abdul Kader that DU Shibir Secretary Farhad included the demand to ban student politics among the nine-point demands during the July uprising, but Kader opposed this.
While we saw common students calling for a ban on student politics, we now suspect that Shibir may have raised the demand under the guise of common students," said Bangladesh Students' Union (BSU) President Rageeb Nayeem.
When asked whether he welcomed Shibir's return to the public sphere after a long absence, Rageeb did not respond directly.
Instead, he said, "More important is that there are unresolved issues regarding Shibir's political stance on the campus."
He urged Shibir leaders to clarify the party's role during the Liberation War.
Rageeb further criticised the politics of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), and Islami Chhatra Shibir, characterising them as politics rooted in terrorism.
Welcoming Shibir's appearance on campus, JCD President Md Rakibul Islam Rakib said that had Shibir made public appearances in the last 15 years, it would have been easier to combat the terrorism associated with the Awami League and its affiliates.
In response, DU Shibir President Abu Shadik said, "The anti-politics campaign is still ongoing. Students are actively campaigning on social media to push for their demands to ban party politics on campus."
He acknowledged their concerns but emphasised that student organisations are seeking reforms in political practices.
"We have different roadmaps," Shadik added, calling for a policy dialogue among teachers, general students, and student leaders to establish a collective vision for student politics.
Shadik emphasized the need for politics to be free from opportunism, insisting that students' wishes should take precedence in shaping future political engagement on campus.
