Charukala Students Boycott Mongol Shobhajatra, Alleging Political Motives

DU Correspondent

Students of the 70th batch of the Fine Arts Faculty at Dhaka University (DU) have announced their decision to boycott this year’s Mongol Shobhajatra and Pohela Boishakh celebrations, citing alleged political motives behind the event.

In a statement, the students said, “This year’s Boishakh is politically motivated. Due to the sycophantic attitude of those involved, we cannot support the faculty-organized festivities and procession.”

Traditionally, students of DU’s Fine Arts Faculty are entrusted with the decorations for the Mongol Shobhajatra. However, this year, the responsibility was not assigned to students, leading to dissatisfaction and a boycott by many.

The 70th batch, from the 2017-18 academic session, explained that the Boishakh celebrations have historically been organized under the supervision of a designated batch, with full collaboration between students and faculty. The necessary funds are typically raised through the sale of art by faculty and students. According to established tradition, this year’s responsibility should have fallen to their batch.

However, the statement alleged that this year’s event was organized solely based on faculty decisions, bypassing students entirely. The organizers neither sought student consent nor held discussions with academic representatives. “This year’s arrangements were suddenly imposed by a specific group of teachers and students without prior consultation,” the statement read.

The students also noted that the designs and concepts for the procession’s structures were solely determined by faculty, excluding general students from the process. Even the design of the structure honoring martyr Abu Saeed was unknown to the students, and they distanced themselves from any offense caused by individual ideologies reflected in the event.

Blaming the event’s controversies on a specific group of organizers and faculty, the statement clarified, “This is not the traditional Boishakh celebration organized by the Fine Arts Faculty. It is a politically driven ‘Boishakh 1432’ tainted by favoritism, which we refuse to endorse.”

Sudipta Bashak Arnob, a student of the Oriental Art Department, said, “We issued this statement because the celebration is not being organized in its usual manner. General students have been ignored and excluded.”

Another student, Dostogir, from the 2020-21 academic session, said, “Previously, the responsibility was given to master’s students, who formed committees involving all students and faculty. This year, we were not informed or consulted about the preparations, including the event’s theme or the logo competition that traditionally occurs a month prior.”

Professor Azaharul Islam Sheikh, Dean of the Fine Arts Faculty and convenor of the organizing committee, defended the arrangements. He stated that the decision to involve all faculty, current students, and alumni was taken to ensure transparency and inclusivity.

Regarding the boycott, he said, “No one among the complainants has approached us with a desire to contribute. The event is open to everyone, even students from other universities. The statement may have been issued to create dissatisfaction or confusion.”