Rashed Khan declared DUCSU GS after 7-year a

Seven years after the 2019 Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election, Mohammad Rashed Khan has been declared the union’s general secretary (GS), following the cancellation of the studentship and DUCSU position of Golam Rabbani, the former general secretary of the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League.

The decision was taken at a Dhaka University Syndicate meeting on Monday (August 31), acting Registrar Munsi Shams Uddin Ahmed confirmed.

Rashed Khan, who secured the second-highest number of votes in the 2019 DUCSU election, was declared GS after Rabbani’s studentship was cancelled over irregularities related to his MPhil enrolment.

Following the announcement, Rashed Khan exchanged greetings with the university’s vice-chancellor and pro-vice-chancellors.

According to university sources, an investigation committee formed by Dhaka University found irregularities in Rabbani’s MPhil studentship. The university subsequently issued him a show-cause notice. After Rabbani failed to provide a satisfactory response, the Academic Council decided to cancel his studentship.

The Syndicate subsequently cancelled his DUCSU GS position and declared Rashed Khan, who had received the second-highest number of votes for the post in the 2019 election, as the new GS.

The 37th DUCSU election was held on March 11, 2019, after a 28-year hiatus. Rabbani won the GS post with 10,484 votes, while Rashed Khan, contesting from the Bangladesh General Students’ Rights Protection Council panel, received 6,063 votes.

Nurul Haque Nur was elected vice-president (VP) in the same election with 11,062 votes.

In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page following the Syndicate’s decision, Rashed Khan said Rabbani’s MPhil studentship had been found invalid in an investigation conducted by the university. He said Rabbani’s studentship was subsequently cancelled after he failed to provide an appropriate response to the Syndicate’s show-cause notice.