The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) has called for a ban on partisan faculty politics and urged the administration to hold student council elections by January. The demand was raised by the movement’s Central Coordinator, Sarzis Alam, during a discussion with university officials held Saturday afternoon in the conference room of the university’s administrative building.
The meeting was chaired by Acting Vice-Chancellor and Treasurer Professor Dr. Md. Ismail Hossain, with Registrar Syed Salim Mohammad Abdul Kadir acting as moderator. University officials, including Proctor Professor Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, and deans of residential halls, alongside leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement were also present.
Sarzis Alam, General Secretary of the July Martyrs Memorial Foundation, emphasized that student council elections are essential for building a “new Bangladesh” free from clientelist politics. He argued that such elections would provide students with representatives accountable to them, fostering a culture of competent leadership over political favoritism within universities.
Sarzis further criticized the environment of extortion, tender manipulation, and intimidation alleged to have prevailed in universities under the long-standing rule of the fallen Awami League party. He underscored that halting partisan politics on campus and initiating student council elections are necessary steps for producing qualified national leaders.
Earlier in the day, the July Martyrs Memorial Foundation, represented by its Executive Director Snigdha and Sarzis Alam, provided financial assistance to families of students who lost their lives in anti-discrimination protests. They later attended the university’s freshman orientation event for the 2023-24 academic year.
Reflecting on the movement, Dr. Md. Ismail Hossain commemorated SUST’s late Chemical Engineering student Rudra Sen, who was killed in the July protests. He emphasized that failing to build a fair and just nation would dishonor those who sacrificed their lives, affirming the students’ efforts to realize the dream of a prosperous Bangladesh.
