Former coordinators' new student organization to be revealed this afternoon

Former ADSM Coordinators to Announce New Student Organization on Wednesday Afternoon

A new student organization, initiated by former coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ADSM), will be officially announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The announcement will take place during a press conference at Madhur Canteen on the Dhaka University campus around 3:00 PM.

According to a press release issued Tuesday night by Al Mashnun, a student involved in the initiative, the new organization will likely be named “Ganatantrik Chhatra Sansad.”

Leadership of the new group will be comprised of former leaders of the now-defunct “Ganatantrik Chhatra Shokti.” The organization is also expected to include students who were previously compelled to attend events organized by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League, as well as student leaders who resigned from BCL during the student-people movement of July-August 2024.

Additionally, some members of the new organization were previously involved, in various capacities, with the Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

Key Leadership Appointments

During a meeting on Tuesday night, student leaders finalized the central and Dhaka University unit committees, multiple sources confirmed to Prothom Alo.

• Central Convener: Abu Baker Majumder, a frontline coordinator of the ADSM and former member secretary of the Dhaka University unit of Ganatantrik Chhatra Shokti.
• Member Secretary: Zahid Ahsan, a former ADSM coordinator and current central office cell secretary, previously affiliated with Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, the student wing of Gono Odhikar Parishad.
• Chief Organizer: Tahmid Al Mudassir
• Spokesperson: Ashrefa Khatun

All four central leaders are students of Dhaka University, with Baker from the 2019-20 session and the others from the 2018-19 session.

For the Dhaka University unit:

• Convener: Abdul Kader, a former ADSM coordinator known for leading the 9-point movement.
• Member Secretary: Mohir Alam, a former BCL-affiliated student with no official post.
• Chief Organizer: Hasib Al Islam
• Spokesperson: Rafia Rehnuma Hridi

Both Hasib and Rafia were 2020-21 session students of Dhaka University and had past involvement with Chhatra Shokti.

Future Plans and Political Stance

At Wednesday’s media conference, only the central and Dhaka University unit committees will be announced, each comprising 150 members. The organization plans to expand gradually by forming committees in other educational institutions.

The former ADSM coordinators emphasized that the new student body will remain non-partisan, prioritizing “Students First” and “Bangladesh First.” They affirmed that their objective is to advocate for students’ rights rather than serve the interests of any larger political party.

Additionally, they assured that leadership positions will be determined democratically.