Chhatra Dal committee expected soon; dozens of names under discussion

The countdown has begun for the announcement of a new central committee of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

According to multiple senior party and JCD sources, the BNP high command has nearly completed the process of finalizing the new leadership, and the committee could be announced at any time if everything proceeds as planned.

Sources say organisational competence, contributions to political movements, political acceptability, and the ability to develop future leadership are being given the highest priority in forming the new committee. Several leaders are being discussed for the president, general secretary, and other three top positions, and changes to the final shortlist remain possible until the last moment. Discussions over the likely leadership are ongoing both within and outside the organisation. Through the new committee, the BNP aims to make the student wing more active in preparation for upcoming political programs and the next national election.

The tenure of the current committee, led by Rakibul Islam Rakib and Nasir Uddin Nasir, ended on 1 March. Aspirants for the new leadership are now spending a busy time lobbying and maintaining communication with senior BNP leaders. More than a dozen names have already emerged as contenders for the student organisation's two top posts. Those in the race have been demonstrating their presence through campus showdowns and participation in party programs.

Leaders under discussion

Among the leading contenders for the top post is Abu Afsan Mohammad Yahya, currently serving as the Senior Vice President of the central committee. An economics graduate, Yahya previously served as the organization's Organizational Secretary. He has long played a significant role in various political movements in coordination with other JCD activists and units.

On 24 May 2022, he was seriously injured in an alleged attack by members of the Chhatra League on the Dhaka University campus. He suffered a head injury requiring 17 stitches and tore a ligament in his leg. In 2023, he was arrested at Gabtoli while participating in a BNP-announced sit-in program at entry points to Dhaka and spent an extended period in jail. During the BNP's strike and blockade programs following 28 October, he served as the chief coordinator for JCD activities in northern and western Dhaka city. Under his leadership, the North and West Dhaka city units successfully carried out the blockade programs.

During the July mass uprising, Abu Afsan Mohammad Yahya worked tirelessly with party activists to organize demonstrations in Shahbagh, Banglamotor, Science Lab, Dhanmondi, and Mohammadpur. After 5 August, he organised programmes promoting positive student politics with students at educational institutions across Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Chattogram divisions, receiving widespread appreciation from participants.

Another prominent contender is Aman Ullah Aman, currently the Organizational Secretary of JCD. A student of the Department of Music, Aman previously served as a Joint Secretary of the central committee. He was arrested during the movement following 28 October and spent two months in prison. After 5 August, he was tasked with reorganising the party and implementing programs promoting constructive politics among students in educational institutions across the Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions.

Saleh Md Adnan, who rose through the grassroots ranks, is currently serving as Joint General Secretary. He also held the same position in the previous committee. After being active in Barguna District Chhatra Dal, he joined Dhaka University politics in 2010. While studying at Barguna Government College, he actively participated in protests against the military-backed caretaker government during the 2007–08 political crisis. In 2016, he became Joint Convener of the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall unit of JCD at Dhaka University. He was allegedly subjected to severe torture because of his involvement in JCD politics and later received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Following the incident, he was expelled from his dormitory by members of the Chhatra League.

Adnan also actively participated in strikes, blockades, and other party programs protesting the 5 January 2014 election, as well as the quota reform and road safety movements. He joined all BNP-announced strikes and blockades, including divisional rallies, youth gatherings, road marches, and sit-in programs at the entrances to Dhaka demanding the resignation of the Awami League government. During the controversy surrounding the sixth council of JCD, he remained at BNP’s head office in Paltan to implement the party's decisions. He faced multiple lawsuits and attacks in connection with these activities.

ABM Ijazul Kabir Ruel, currently a Vice President of JCD, previously served twice as Acting President of the Dhaka University unit. During the anti-authoritarian movement, he was named in eight cases, and arrested three times. He is widely regarded as an active student leader who has endured significant political persecution.

Several candidates from outside Dhaka University are also under discussion. They include current Vice Presidents Dr Touhidur Rahman Awal and Kazi Ziauddin Baset, and Joint General Secretary Shahriar Haque Majumdar Shimul. Also under consideration is M Rajibul Islam Talukder Bindu, general secretary of the Private University Chhatra Dal.

Dr Touhidur Rahman Awal previously served as joint general secretary, No 1 assistant organizational secretary, and assistant health affairs secretary. During the previous government, three cases were filed against him, and he was arrested once. A graduate of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, he is currently pursuing the FCPS postgraduate medical qualification.

Kazi Zia Uddin Baset has nine cases filed against him because of his involvement in student politics and was allegedly subjected to severe torture while in police remand. He has also served prison sentences in two cases, while several others remain pending. During a blockade in 2015, he was allegedly thrown from an under-construction building by police and remained hospitalized for ten months.

Other leaders whose names are also being discussed include Vice Presidents Md Monjurul Alam Riyad and Khorshed Alam Sohel, as well as Joint General Secretaries Ibrahim Khalil, Mominul Islam Jisan, Mostafizur Rahman, and Faruk Hossain.