Today (Friday) marks the death anniversary of Shaheed Moin Hossain Raju, a young student leader who was gunned down in 1992 while protesting against terrorism on the campus of Dhaka University.
The anti-terrorism Raju Sculpture, erected in his memory, has gained renewed significance since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5. Over the years, it has served as a symbolic gathering point for various movements and protests.
Moin Hossain Raju was a leader of Bangladesh Chhatra Union. The left-leaning student organization continues to claim his legacy, but it now operates as two separate factions.
Despite having no fundamental differences in their constitutions or manifestos, the two factions maintain entirely independent committees, with some visible differences in their organisational practices.
Who was Moin Hossain Raju?
After completing his higher secondary education in 1987, Moin Hossain Raju enrolled in the Department of Soil, Water and Environment at Dhaka University and took residence at Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall.
Even before arriving on campus, he was already associated with Bangladesh Chhatra Union, a connection that grew stronger during his university years.
When Raju began his studies at the university, the mass movement against former President H M Ershad was at its peak, and he played an active role in the protests.
At the time of his death, he was serving as the Welfare Secretary of the Dhaka University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra Union.
On March 13, 1992, during the holy month of Ramadan, Raju was shot and killed while speaking out against terrorism on the Dhaka University campus.
The Raju Memorial Sculpture
Five years after the martyrdom of Moin Hossain Raju, the Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture was erected near the TSC area of Dhaka University in 1997 in his honor.
The sculpture was inaugurated on September 17 of that year and designed by sculptor Shyamal Chowdhury.
It features eight figures representing student activists: Munim Hossain Rana, Shahana Akter Shilu, Saeed Hasan Tuhin, Abdullah Mahmud Khan, Tasfir Siddiq, Hasan Hafizur Rahman Sohel, Utpal Chandra Roy and Golam Kibria Roni.
For nearly three decades, the base of the sculpture has served as a symbolic gathering point for student protests and demonstrations — not only for Dhaka University students but also for activists from institutions across the country.
The split in Chhatra Union
Moin Hossain Raju was a leader of Bangladesh Chhatra Union. The organization still claims to uphold his legacy, but it now operates through two separate factions.
The mainstream faction, aligned with the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), is led centrally by Mahir Shahriar Reza and Bahauddin Shuvo. However, it currently has no active committee at Dhaka University.
The other faction is led centrally by Tamzid Haider and Shimul Kumbhakar, with Meghmallar Bosu and Main Ahmed serving as president and general secretary of its Dhaka University committee.
How the split happened
The divide began to take shape around 2021, largely stemming from disagreements over the process and leadership of the organization’s 40th National Conference.
After several rounds of negotiations, both sides jointly held what they called a “United 41st National Conference” in March 2023. However, as of 2026, the two factions continue to operate with separate committees.
This is not the first time the Chhatra Union has experienced internal divisions. The organization first split in 1965 during the Pakistan era under the leadership of Rashed Khan Menon and Matia Chowdhury. Another rupture occurred in 1994, though that division did not last long.
Allegations and counter-allegations
Bahauddin Shuvo, central general secretary of the mainstream faction, told the Dhaka Tribune that there are no fundamental differences in policy or ideological principles between the two sides. However, he acknowledged disagreements over day-to-day organizational practices.
He alleged that the other faction has displayed communal tendencies, including attending meetings alongside Chhatra Shibir, which, in his view, undermines Chhatra Union's 73-74 year tradition of standing firmly against communalism.
Shimul Kumbhakar, central general secretary of the other faction, told the Dhaka Tribune that the split stemmed from procedural irregularities during the 40th National Conference that violated the organization’s constitution.
Responding to the allegation regarding Chhatra Shibir, Kumbhakar said his faction had actually objected to Shibir’s presence at the meeting. He also questioned why the mainstream faction — which currently has no committee at Dhaka University — attended the meeting in the first place.
Meghmallar Bosu, president of the faction’s Dhaka University committee, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The split happened over a constitutional violation. We wanted to hold a requisition conference — that provision exists in the Chhatra Union constitution. But the other faction refused to recognize it, and afterward they showed no interest in holding a fresh conference.”
He added, “We are in a different political moment now. Whether the two sides will reunite depends entirely on those who carry the Chhatra Union forward in the future. But the constitutional disagreement, and the political differences that emerged from it, have not disappeared.”
What former leaders say
Former leaders largely believe the current split is less ideological and more organizational in nature.
Since neither faction has amended its constitution or founding declaration, many are hesitant to describe the situation as a genuine division. Instead, they remain hopeful that the dispute can be resolved.
Manabendra Deb, former president of the central committee, told the Dhaka Tribune that truly honoring Raju means actually living by his ideals.
“If both sides share the same ideology, strategic or procedural disagreements can always be resolved,” he said. “However, there can be no compromise on Chhatra Union’s secular politics and its commitment to free thought.”
Manab, who was imprisoned during the 1/11 movement for his role in the protests, emphasized the importance of staying true to those core principles.
Ferdous Ahmed Ujjal, former general secretary of the central committee, said that if two separate Chhatra Unions truly exist, each should have its own constitution and declaration to prove it.
“Without that, the split carries little meaning,” he said, adding that there should also be a clearer explanation of whether the division is political in nature.
Mir Mosharraf Hossain, another former general secretary of the Dhaka University committee, said the organization was originally founded to promote the welfare of students, teachers, and staff, and to help make the university a true center of learning.
He noted that the ideals of Moin Hossain Raju have always been central to that mission. How the two factions now interpret and represent those ideals, he added, is ultimately up to them.