Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote has protested against the leadership of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu), accusing it of violence, harassment, and abuse of authority during an eviction drive targeting floating shops on the campus.
At an press conference at Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen on Tuesday, the alliance alleged that during the drives led by Ducsu since Saturday, hawkers were beaten, shops vandalized, goods confiscated, and women hawkers humiliated — actions it said were beyond Ducsu’s jurisdiction and amounted to criminal offenses.
The group said the university administration had previously allowed such shops to reopen after evictions, alleging that some members of the proctorial team were involved in extortion from hawkers but faced no action.
Jote leaders also accused Ducsu of “fascist behavior” for labeling leftist students who protested the attacks on hawkers as “instigators,” and condemned a reported call to identify them as “disgraceful” and “authoritarian.”
They further alleged that Ducsu Social Welfare Secretary ABI Zubayer and member Sarva Mitra Chakma were launching online bot attacks and spreading false propaganda against critics to conceal their “criminal activities.”
“There is a smear campaign calling leftist students a ‘drug syndicate,’ which directly interferes with freedom of expression,” the statement read.
The alliance said the evicted shops — mostly tea, fast food, flower, and jewelry stalls — had no link to drug trafficking, and that eviction without rehabilitation only worsened the problem. It blamed the lack of recreational centers in Dhaka and administrative failures for growing insecurity on campus, citing several recent murders.
On women’s safety, Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote blamed the absence of an anti-sexual harassment committee and termed the eviction of women shopkeepers “misguided,” calling instead for a “Safe Campus Charter.”
The group described the crisis of hawkers and migrants as a state issue, saying rural economic collapse and unemployment had pushed many to small urban businesses. “It is the state’s responsibility to help them become safe entrepreneurs,” they said.
The organization also alleged that the proctorial team violated student Abir Hasan’s privacy by beating a rickshaw puller in Shahbagh and searching his phone, calling the act “completely illegal and fascist.”
Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote demanded a fair investigation into the assaults and vandalism, compensation and return of confiscated goods, rehabilitation for the displaced, and action against those involved in drug and extortion rackets.
“The university students will identify and reject such falsehoods and fascist activities by Ducsu members,” the statement said.
The written statement was presented by Biplobi Chhatra Moitree Dhaka University branch General Secretary Sami Abdullah, Somajtantrik Chhatra Front DU branch Convener Muzammel Haque, and Bangladesh Chhatra Union DU branch General Secretary Mahin Ahmed.