The Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) has formally condemned and strongly protested the exhibition of a contentious 1948 photograph depicting Muhammad Ali Jinnah inside the historical museum operated by the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU).

In an official press release, the student organization pointed out that Jinnah, while standing at the former Racecourse Maidan—now known as Suhrawardy Udyan—on March 21, 1948, had controversially declared that “only Urdu will be the state language of Pakistan.”

General students of Dhaka University instantly revolted against Jinnah’s “extremely arrogant” pronouncement, a resistance that subsequently served as a foundational pillar for both the Language Movement and the War of Liberation, the statement noted.

“Displaying the photograph of that controversial leader at the DUCSU museum, which was the birthplace of the movement for Bengali self-determination, is a direct insult to the legacy of the Language Movement and the independence movement,” the declaration asserted.

JCD added that it is monitoring with profound anxiety how the current administration of DUCSU has utterly failed to tackle the ongoing accommodation crisis for students, guarantee their fundamental rights, or foster a conducive academic atmosphere.

Rather than tending to the rightful demands and welfare of the student body, the incumbent DUCSU leadership has converted the council into an instrument for advancing its narrow political and ideological objectives, the faction charged.

Citing instances ranging from an alleged “bid” to rename Madhur Canteen as “Ishrat Manzil” to the placement of Jinnah’s disputed portrait within the DUCSU museum, these “continuous activities” demonstrate that the “Shibir-controlled” DUCSU council is betraying student aspirations alongside the university's liberation ethos while exposing its “covert affinity” toward the anti-liberation forces of 1971 and its “love for Pakistan,” JCD claimed.

JCD President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir insisted that Jinnah’s picture, representing a historic adversary of the Bengali tongue, must be taken down from the DUCSU museum without delay.

They additionally demanded an immediate halt to utilizing DUCSU as a platform to propagate the political doctrine of any sectarian faction.

They warned that all maneuvers aimed at disfiguring the historical landmarks and heritage of Dhaka University, including the iconic Madhur Canteen, will face fierce opposition.

Emphasizing historical precedent, they stated that just as university scholars mobilized in defiance back in 1948 against Jinnah’s “arrogant” mandate trying to enforce Urdu, JCD—alongside the general student body—will forge a united front to counter any “evil force” safeguarding the progressive values, history, and legacy of the institution.

With Inputs from UNB