Haseeb Zaman, the coordinator of the Jahangirnagar University (JU) unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, has resigned, alleging that certain individuals within the platform are attempting to monopolize power.
He announced his resignation via a post on Facebook on Wednesday.
Haseeb Zaman is a student of Media and Journalism of the 48th batch of Jahangirnagar University
In his post, he wrote: "I have been part of the coordinator committee of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement from the beginning. This platform has led the country’s students at a critical time and contributed to the emergence of a new Bangladesh. However, it has become evident that certain individuals within this platform are trying to monopolize power, which has created new forms of discrimination rather than decentralizing power."
"In this situation, I, Haseeb, do not find it justifiable to walk together with this platform on the streets. Therefore, I am resigning from this platform. This announcement concludes my statement," he added.
Prior to this, on August 11, another coordinator Mahfuzul Islam Megh had resigned just days after the government was overthrown.
He announced his resignation on Facebook, stating: "This decision is from a moral standpoint."
Earlier, coordinator Labib Ahsan was relieved of his duties due to allegations of involvement in criminal activities, while Nazmul Islam Limon was dismissed from the cocoordinator position for misconduct and for exerting personal influence while identifying as a coordinator.
On July 4, a committee for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement was formed, appointing Arif Sohel, a student of the 47th batch of the International Relations department, as the convener and Mahfuz Islam Megh from the Environmental Science department as the member secretary.
Students have noted that disagreements have been surfacing within the group for some time.
Recently, a video related to the murder of former JU student Shamim Molla went viral, implicating one of the coordinators, who has since been dismissed and faces legal action.
There have also been complaints regarding Limon’s personal influence and disciplinary violations.
Following Haseeb Zaman’s resignation, there are rumors on social media that more coordinators may resign.
A coordinator, wishing to anonymity, stated that due to Arif Sohel’s leadership within the student power movement, he is central to the Anti-Discrimination Movement’s committee, while others feel sidelined in decision-making processes. There is resentment among other activists as they are often excluded from meetings with the chief advisor. This has exacerbated feelings of inequality within the committee.
Haseeb Zaman expressed: “I have been part of the coordinator committee from the beginning. While the Dhaka University (DU) unit has made significant contributions, so has JU, and we have also seen considerable loss of life in private universities. However, it seems to me that certain individuals within this platform are trying to monopolize power. Whether at JU or at the central level, a few specific individuals are retaining power instead of decentralizing it. While a few individuals continuously come to the forefront at the centre, they also serve as advisors, leading to new forms of discrimination. Considering both the central and JU branches, I believe it is appropriate for me to resign.”
Arif Sohel, the convener of the Anti-Discrimination Movement’s JU branch, commented: “The reasons for his resignation are his own to explain. We currently have no comments on this matter.”