Recently, Md Abu Shadik, one of the known faces of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, publicly announced on Facebook that he is the president of the Dhaka University (DU) unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Amid the ensuing discussions, the identity of the secretary-general of the DU unit of Shibir has also become a viral topic on social media.
The student, SM Farhad, is from the 2017-18 academic year at DU’s Social Welfare and Research.
On Monday, a news report in Prothom Alo, citing a senior leader of Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, confirmed Farhad’s role in the organization.
Meanwhile, social media has been abuzz with discussions that Farhad previously held a position in the DU-unit Chhatra League as well.
Both Shadik and Farhad completed their Alim studies at Baitush Sharaf Adarsha Kamil Madrasa in Chittagong before enrolling at Dhaka University.
Farhad served as the president of the Kabi Jasimuddin Hall Debating Club during the 2022-23 academic year.
Following the revelation of his political affiliation, another piece of information went viral on social media. It was revealed that Farhad had also been the joint general secretary of the DU unit Chhatra League, a position announced in November 2022.
In addition, a photo of Farhad with Tanvir Hasan Saikat, general secretary of DU unit Chhatra League, and SM Rakib Siraji, the central Chhatra League’s secretary for technical education, at an iftar event went viral on Facebook.
Amid these discussions, SM Farhad issued a clarification regarding his role in the Chhatra League.
He stated that he is not involved with any of Chhatra League’s programs or activities. Farhad made this claim in a statement sent to the media on Monday afternoon.
In his statement, Farhad said: "I am not involved in any programs or activities of the Chhatra League at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research. I have never submitted a CV (resume) to anyone for any position within the Chhatra League. The decision of who will be included in the department or institute’s committee is made by the respective student organization. Why am I being linked to this, when I have no connection with the Chhatra League at the institute?"
Farhad further stated that he believes this is a conspiracy to destroy the spirit of the anti-fascist movement.
In his statement regarding the photo with Chhatra League leaders, Farhad said: "As the president of the hall debating club and the general secretary of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research debating club, photos with political figures seen on social media were taken during various debate events and not political events."
Md Abu Shadik, the president of the Dhaka University branch of Islami Chhatra Shibir, also addressed the matter.
He said: "Farhad was not involved in any programs or activities of the Chhatra League. He never submitted a CV for a position in the Chhatra League. We don’t know why he was included in the committee."
Shadik further stated that in 2018, when Farhad was a first-year student, the Chhatra League expelled him from the hall for not attending their programs.
Earlier, last Saturday, following a meeting with the university administration, Md Abu Shadik’s identity as the president of DU unit Chhatra Shibir was disclosed.
Shadik's political affiliation was revealed on Facebook on Saturday. He is a student from the 2016-17 academic year in the Department of Political Science.