Students outraged at Dhaka University (DU) campus after Bangladesh Chattra Union members white-washed "July graffiti" from university walls.
Chattra Union leaders and activists reportedly painted party slogans over graffiti around 2 AM on Thursday from walls opposite Arts Building main gate, triggering heated exchanges with general students.
Witnesses confirmed Chattra Union members erased two specific graffiti pieces, one reading "Chiro Unnata Momo Shir" ("Forever Upright is My Head") and another containing phrase "Puki Nation", allegedly to create space for slogans related to their upcoming conference.
Confrontation erupted between Chattra Union activists and general students, creating temporary unrest across campus. Students accused Chattra Union members of deliberately attempting to erase July's memory under cover of darkness, describing actions as "regrettable" and demanding formal apology.
When asked about the matter, the party’s president, Rageeb Nayeem, told the Daily Observer, "We have no objection to July graffiti. In fact, we also embrace the spirit of July. That particular spot once depicted the horrors of genocide. However, to our knowledge, some NGOs later erased those illustration and replaced them with flashy drawings like ‘Puki Nation’. Our national conference took place today. Based on this occasion, we wanted to do some wall writing. That's when some university students came and got into a heated argument with us. At one point, they even hurled abuses, calling us agents of fascism."
Video footage capturing confrontation has since gone viral across social media platforms. Recorded exchanges show students questioning Chattra Union members about their motives, while activists defended their actions by arguing most graffiti appeared after August 5 and therefore cannot be considered genuine "July movement" art.
Chattra Union members further claimed that authentic July protest slogans were hastily written by participants who needed to flee immediately afterwards.
They asserted that current murals were painted by school and college students after August 5, arguing that labelling these as "July graffiti" diminishes legacy of actual July protests.
NRE/SH
