DUCSU vice-president rejects government gunman offer, demands security for all

Shadik Kayem says personal protection makes little sense when ordinary citizens remain unsafe

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Vice-President Abu Shadik Kayem has rejected state protection, saying personal security arrangements are unjustifiable when public safety remains fragile for the wider population.

In the wake of recent violence in the country, the interim government decided to provide gunmen to 20 individuals, including student leaders of the July Uprising, political figures, and media personalities.

In a statement issued on Monday night, Shadik said he had been informed of the decision as part of that process but had chosen not to accept the offer.

Shadik said that after the fall of what he described as “killer Hasina” through a combined resistance of students and the public, people had expected a visible and just transformation in the country’s overall security system.

“In reality, however, we are witnessing a lack of effective action by law-enforcing agencies, while public safety is repeatedly undermined by the direct and indirect patronage of fascist forces across various institutions,” the statement said.

He added that had law-enforcing agencies been effective and terrorists brought under exemplary punishment, the anxiety over security would not have existed.

“In this context, the real question is why that expectation has still not been fulfilled,” he said.

The statement added that it was difficult to reconcile with a situation in which top criminals roam freely on bail, people like Hadi are killed, and perpetrators remain beyond reach, while selected individuals are offered personal gunmen.

“Security is undoubtedly necessary for all of us,” Kayem said. “But if it is limited to only a few individuals or groups, it cannot be just.”

He said that as long as students and ordinary citizens remain unsafe, he does not consider accepting a gunman for personal protection to be the right decision.