To everyone's surprise, Islami Chhatra Shibir has made history. For the first time since Bangladesh's independence, a panel backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir swept the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) elections, signaling a seismic shift in campus politics.
All the top DUCSU posts went to Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. Shibir-backed candidates Abu Shadik Kayem was elected Vice President, SM Farhad became General Secretary and Mohiuddin Khan secured the post of Assistant General Secretary. Most importantly, the trio won their positions by wide margins. Kayem secured 14,042 votes for the VP post, defeating his nearest rival, Chhatra Dal-backed Abidul Islam, who bagged 5,658 votes. For the GS post, SM Farhad won with 10,794 votes against Sheikh Tanvir Bari Hamim, who polled 5,283. Mohiuddin Khan garnered 9,501 votes for AGS, while Chhatra Dal-backed Tanvir Al Hadi Mayed managed 4,258.
The DUCSU polls were held amid great enthusiasm, with nearly 80 percent voter turnout. However, claims of irregularities surfaced from defeated candidates of the top posts. Citing vote rigging, Chhatra Dal's VP candidate Abidul Islam Khan and independent candidate Umama Fatema-both known faces of the July uprising-boycotted the polls.
This raises a crucial question how did Chhatra Shibir achieve such a sweeping victory when its members were systematically targeted by the Sheikh Hasina government, which had practically erased this Islamist student group from the Dhaka University campus for 16 years until the July student-led uprising? The key to Shibir's resurgence lies in its rigid adherence to Islamic principles, which has helped establish it as one of the most disciplined student organizations.
The previous government had left no stone unturned in dismantling the networks of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, capitalizing on Jamaat's controversial role in the Liberation War. This stance was partly accepted by sections of the student community, making it easier to arrest Shibir activists, ban their gatherings and enforce constant surveillance on campus.
As part of a broader national strategy, the Awami League government worked to isolate Jamaat-e-Islami from mainstream politics. The party's registration was canceled by the Election Commission in December 2018, following a 2013 High Court ruling that deemed Jamaat unfit to participate in national elections due to its opposition to Bangladesh's independence. Moreover, several key leaders were sentenced to death for war crimes. As a result, Jamaat's support for its student wing weakened drastically.
Yet, despite relentless repression, Shibir managed to survive on campuses in a dormant state, keeping its networks alive. In many ways, it has risen from the ashes. Perhaps this revival stems from the fact that the government sought to suppress Shibir by force instead of defeating it ideologically through democratic engagement.
There is no doubt that Shibir's DUCSU victory will reverberate across upcoming student union elections in public universities and even national politics where Jamaat is poised to re-emerge as a formidable force in the country's political landscape.
