Student representatives boycott ‘July Charter Dialogue’ over presence of fascist-affiliated teacher

Student representatives from several universities, including Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) General Secretary S M Farhad, boycotted a policy dialogue titled “July Charter” held at Dhaka University on Wednesday (October 29).

The boycott came after allegations surfaced that a teacher with “fascist leanings” was present at the event, organized by the Applied Democracy Lab.

Terming the participation of Professor Ainul Islam from the Department of Political Science as “unacceptable,” the student leaders announced their withdrawal from the discussion.

DUCSU General Secretary S M Farhad said, “Everyone participating in today’s event is part of the July movement. However, if any teacher or student stands against July, their presence is absolutely unwelcome to us. Professor Ainul Islam of Dhaka University’s Political Science Department, known for supporting fascist ideals, attended today’s event. We have sufficient documentation against him, and his presence here is deeply disgraceful to us.”

He further added, “The theme of today’s discussion was the ‘July Charter’, yet a teacher opposing July was invited. Therefore, we student representatives from DUCSU, JAKSU, RAKSU, and CHAKSU decided to boycott the program.”

Among those present at the event were JAKSU General Secretary Md. Mazharul Islam and RAKSU General Secretary Salauddin Ammar.