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Published : 13 Feb 2026, 11:39 PM
Leftist students have paraded through the Dhaka University (DU) campus on an open-back truck, playing satirical songs to celebrate the "defeat" of Jamaat-e-Islami in most seats in the general election held on Thursday.
The truck journey started at 4pm on Friday from the TSC.
The vehicle drove through the entire campus until the celebration ended at 7:30pm.
The songs that were played included parodies alongside a track by renowned composer Prince Mahmud, with the lyrics: "Razakar, Al-Badr, none shall remain; all Rajakars will be washed away into the Bay of Bengal".
The word “Razakar” refers to the groups that collaborated with Pakistani occupational forces during the 1971 Liberation War.
Several top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were convicted and executed for war crimes during the previous Awami League regime.
The July Uprising that toppled the Awami League opened a window of opportunity for Jamaat to reemerge.
In the recent election, Jamaat bagged 68 seats, the highest number of constituencies the Islamist party has ever won in independent Bangladesh.
In the run-up to the parliamentary polls, Jamaat utilised social media and artificial intelligence extensively, wooing voters, particularly the youth, with the promise that “honest” candidates would ensure their well-being in both this world and the afterlife.
The BNP, which secured an absolute majority by winning 209 out of 299 seats, campaigned on a message urging voters not to fall into the trap of Islamists who had opposed the birth of Bangladesh.
The BNP participated in the election by forging its own alliance, as did Jamaat.
Jamaat's key ally was the National Citizen Party (NCP), a political force born out of the July Uprising, mainly led by youths.
Those who celebrated on the DU campus also played a parody, titled "Gupto Purush Shadik Mia, Mamla Koriya Dilo Meme Dekhiya" (Veiled man Shadik Mia filed a case after seeing a meme).
The song is a direct reference to DUCSU Vice-President Shadik Kayem, a leader of Jamaat’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.
It mocks the recent admission by several top Shibir leaders that they had operated undercover for years, infiltrating and engaging in politics within the Awami League’s student front, Bangladesh Chhatra League.
Videos of the truck parade quickly went viral on social media, showing youths dancing and celebrating as the satirical tracks blared.
“On one hand, it is a matter of joy that we have been able to suppress the arrogance of Jamaat, though we haven't silenced them completely, as they are now effectively the opposition party,” said Enamul Hasan Onoy, one of the organisers.
"We have been able to shatter Jamaat’s confidence because the people of Bangladesh will defeat them anyway," he said.
"The people of Bangladesh know exactly who the accomplices in the 1971 genocide were. They also know who was responsible for the post-'71 era of campus violence, tendon-cutting, terrorist activities, arson, persecution of minorities, and mobocracy," he added.
The event was organised by activists from Biplobi Chhatra Maitri and a faction of the Bangladesh Chhatra Union.
