Published : 06 Aug 2025, 01:33 AM
Updated : 28 Aug 2026, 01:34 AM
Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student front of the Jamaat-e-Islami, has taken down photos of convicted war criminals from an exhibition at Dhaka University’s TSC in the face of intense backlash from students.
The exhibition was part of a three-day programme titled “36 July: We Will Not Stop”, marking the anniversary of the July Uprising.
On Tuesday evening, Dhaka University Assistant Proctor Rafiqul Islam confirmed the removal of the images.
“I thank Chhatra Shibir for responding to the students’ demand and removing the photos,” he said.
The exhibition initially featured portraits of former Jamaat and BNP leaders who were executed or jailed for committing crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s War of Independence from Pakistan.
Set up under the banner “Judicial Killings”, the display included images of:
· Jamaat ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami
· Secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid
· Assistant secretaries general Abdul Quader Molla and Muhammad Kamaruzzaman
· Shura member Mir Quasem Ali
· Nayeb-e-ameer Delawar Hossain Sayeedi
· BNP Standing Committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury
All were tried and convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal during the then Awami League government, “found guilty” of war-time atrocities such as mass killings, rape, and torture.
Their trials, though welcomed by many survivors and families, were denounced by Jamaat and its allies as politically motivated.
Of the seven featured, Sayeedi was sentenced to life in prison and later died in custody.
The remaining six were executed between 2012 and 2016.
The tribunal also handed a 90-year sentence to wartime Jamaat ameer Ghulam Azam, who died in prison in 2014. His photo was not part of the display.
The exhibition opened Tuesday morning at the TSC, under the initiative of Shibir’s Dhaka University unit.
Jamaat and Shibir reject the tribunal’s verdicts, claiming their leaders were victims of politically motivated “judicial killings” during the Awami League’s rule.
Students, however, quickly condemned the display, saying it “glorified” those found guilty of wartime atrocities.
Speaking to bdnews24.com, Naureen Sultana Toma, a student of mass communication and journalism at DU, said: “On the 5th of August, while commemorating the mass uprising, the display of notorious war criminals by Chhatra Shibir has dishonoured Dhaka University.
“They’ve clearly used the memory of the Uprising to amplify an anti-Liberation War message.”
Sarba Mitra, a student of sociology, expressed outrage. “As a student of this university, I strongly condemn Shibir’s exhibition of war criminals and collaborators at TSC. The blood of ’71 may dry, but we cannot forget those who committed mass murder and rape.
“Both ’71 and ’24 are part of our history -- those who attempt to glorify war criminals by pitching one against the other deserve nothing but disgust.”
“On the night of the 14th of July, students of this university shouted ‘Who are you, who am I? Rajakar, Rajakar!’ in fury,” he added. “If Shibir believes it can normalise or glorify these war criminals to today’s students, it will only invite hatred.”
In response to the controversy, SM Farhad, president of Chhatra Shibir’s DU chapter, said: “’71 is a proud chapter of Bangladesh, and no student organisation can deny that. But we have seen Sheikh Hasina’s Skype scandal. She structured the judiciary according to her own preferences and issued verdicts at will.
“Witnesses were forcibly disappeared, sent to India, lawyers were tortured and detained in secret cells. That is why we call these executions ‘judicial killings’.”
He added, “Whatever happened under this ‘fascist’ regime, we’ve tried to bring it all forward. This is why we’ve displayed this.
“If the judiciary were fair, we would have accepted the verdicts. But the judicial system under the Awami League remains questionable.”
The event is set to end on Aug 7.
It features a July-themed photo exhibition, documentary screenings on the Uprising, revolutionary songs and poetry, stories of martyred families and injured fighters, plays, mime performances, panel debates and discussion sessions.
On-site, a symbolic Ganabhaban has been constructed on TSC’s Sabuj Chattar, named “Fateh Ganabhaban”.
A separate installation called July 36 Express has also been set up.
The exhibition also displayed historic photos and slogans from the July movement, showing revolutionary female figures, scenes of Ganabhaban’s occupation, and images of martyrs including Abu Sayed.
