DHAKA: A fresh political row erupted at Dhaka University Monday over the display of photos of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and former Jamaat-e-Islami chief and 1971 war crimes convict Ghulam Azam at the renovated DUCSU museum, with critics accusing hardline Jamaat's student body Shibir of seeking to alter the institution's historical narrative.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
The pictures were torn by student Muhammad Abu Tayab, who contested the 2025 DUCSU election for vice-president, who was later joined by activists of governing BNP's Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal and left-leaning Students' Federation of Bangladesh at a protest.
"We have not forgotten 1971 or Language Movement," Tayab said, asking why "this villain's" photos should remain at Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) museum and whether the union's manifesto had promised to "make Jinnah a hero".
The protesters said that while there were three photos of Jinnah, there was no standalone photograph of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. "Displaying photographs of individuals whose actions conflict with the history of the Language Movement and independence of Bangladesh within the university is entirely unacceptable. Strict administrative action will be taken against those responsible," said deputy director, DU PRO Farrukh Mahmud.
