Teachers’ Network says renaming Bangabandhu Hall after Hadi ‘politically mean’

The teachers’ platform calls the move “politically mean” and urges the authorities to back away from it

The University Teachers' Network has called the recommendation to rename Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall to Shahid Osman Hadi Hall “politically immature”.

The platform of public and private university teachers issued a statement on Saturday, three days after Dhaka University’s highest policy-making body, the Syndicate, recommended the senate rename five campus facilities named after the Sheikh family, including two residential halls.

The teachers’ platform also condemned the recommendation as an “ill attempt” to position Inqilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman bin Hadi in opposition to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's independence architect.

“In post-July politics, young Hadi emerged as an important figure. His murder led to an outpouring of public emotion. The Teachers’ Network protested the murder and demanded justice for Hadi. However, some quarters are seeking to exploit public sentiment and use Hadi’s name to pursue their own political interests,” said the statement.

The statement said any new building in the university could be named after Hadi, a former student of the university. The teachers, however, held in suspicion the motive of renaming a hall that existed with the name of a national leader for three to four decades.

The statement called the move “politically mean”, urging the university authorities to move away from such a stance.

The statement said the Bangabandhu hall was constructed along with Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall in the 1980s. The dormitories survived political changes without ever facing a proposal to change their names, the statement said.

The platform commented that changing the name of Bangabandhu Hall in the post–July Uprising period is not justified.

Recalling the contributions Sheikh Mujib and Ziaur Rahman made to Bangladesh’s independence, the statement highlighted the coexistential symbolism of having two adjacent student halls at the country’s foremost university named after the leaders.

The statement found no justification in erasing Sheikh Mujib’s name just because of “autocratic” Sheikh Hasina.

“On the contrary, having a student hall named after him is not only justified but also necessary,” the statement said.

The Syndicate also proposed renaming Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall to Bir Protik Captain Setara Begum Hall.

The syndicate also suggested renaming two staff quarters, Russell Tower and Bangabandhu Tower, as well as Sultana Kamal Hostel.