Anti-Discrimination Student Movement leaders set to launch independent political group

Although the group's name is undecided, its leadership is close to being finalised, with its declaration featuring the slogans "Students First" and "Bangladesh First"

Coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement are preparing to unveil a new independent political organisation soon.

The group's activities will kick off with the announcement of its central and Dhaka University branch committees, according to several of its founders.

The leadership for the organisation is close to being finalised, with the group's declaration -- featuring the slogans "Students First" and "Bangladesh First" -- already complete.

However, the name of the organisation was still undecided as of Saturday morning.

Several key members likely to lead the new organisation have confirmed these details to bdnews24.com.

Abdul Kader, a coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, is expected to become the convenor of the group's Dhaka University unit. "While the organisation's name has yet to be decided, the constitution is already complete," he said.

Saidur Rahman Shahid, a student in the Department of Communication Disorders at Dhaka University, is also involved in the creation of the new group.

"To gauge the hopes and aspirations of the student body, we conducted both online and offline surveys, receiving feedback from over 10,000 people. They shared their hopes, aspirations and views on the organisation's name and other aspects," he said.

Reflecting on the announcement of the new independent student organisation, Shahid added, "The past years have been a dark chapter for student politics. Students have been manipulated, held hostage, and the academic environment polluted to maintain the ruling party's power. This new organisation is committed to wiping away that stain."

The formation of the new group was previously announced at a press conference held at Dhaka University's Madhur Canteen on Feb 17.

LEADERSHIP CANDIDATES

The new group, like the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, will have four key leadership positions: convenor, member secretary, spokesperson, and chief organiser.

Several people involved in the formation of the political group, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to bdnews24.com that the leadership for the central committee is almost finalised.

Abu Baker Mojumder has been chosen as the convenor, and Abdul Kader will serve as the Dhaka University branch convenor.

Abu Baker previously served as the member secretary for the Dhaka University branch of the Ganotantrik Chhatra Shakti, led by Nahid Islam and Akhtar Hossain, while Abdul Kader was its joint convenor.

Meanwhile, Zahid Ahsan, the office secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and Tahmid Al Muddassir Chowdhury, the movement’s coordinator, are being considered for the central committee's member secretary positions. Both are students from Dhaka University’s 2018-2019 batch.

For the Dhaka University branch, Mahir Alam, a student from the Department of Mathematics, is being considered for the member secretary position.

In addition, two female students will hold leadership positions in both the central and Dhaka University committees. Ashrefa Khatun, a 2018-2019 student from the Department of International Relations and a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and Rafiya Rehnuma Hridi from the 2019-2020 batch are the leading candidates.

For the Dhaka University branch, Sanjana Afifa Aditi, a student from the 2020-2021 batch, is also in the running.

For the role of chief organiser in the central committee, Al Amin Sarkar, a student from the 2018-2019 batch, is being considered. Hasib Al Islam, a student from the Department of Sociology, is also in the running for the chief organiser role for the Dhaka University branch.

Multiple members of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the new group have confirmed to bdnews24.com that the candidates have not been finalised yet. These leadership positions will be decided through consensus. They added that discussions are ongoing and should be finalised soon. Once the leadership is confirmed, the official launch date of the organisation will be announced.