All committees and activities of the Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti have been suspended. This announcement was made through the organization’s Facebook page at around 3 am on Friday (September 13). Yesterday (Saturday, September 14), several leaders of organization confirmed the news to the media. Several leaders from the Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti were at the forefront of the student-people uprising against Sheikh Hasina’s government. Among them are two interim advisers, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan.

Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti was launched on October 4 last year with the aim of protecting the rights and interests of students. The organization was led by Akhtar Hossain, the former social welfare secretary of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU). However, within a year, all committees and activities of the organization were suspended.

Abu Bakar Majumder, the member secretary of the Dhaka University branch of Chhatra Shakti and currently a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, spoke to the media about the suspension. He said, “The objectives of Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti have been largely fulfilled. For some time now, we’ve been considering suspending the committees and activities. After the government’s downfall, on August 9 or 10, we made the decision. And finally, on Friday (September 13), Chhatra Shakti’s committees and activities were suspended. There is no special reason behind it.”

When asked about the political future of Chhatra Shakti, he said, “Discussions are ongoing. We do not want partisan student politics on campus. We want constructive politics based on student councils.”

Speaking to the media, Akhtar Hossain said, “After the mass uprising, two of our members have become advisers, and there has been a certain ambiguity within the campus, the students, and the student organizations regarding the future of student politics. There are also many new issues emerging concerning policymaking. For these reasons, we have dissolved all committees and suspended activities of Chhatra Shakti.”

Since the government’s fall, a section of students at various campuses, including Dhaka University, has been demanding a ban on student politics. A section of Dhaka University students has stated they will not return to classes until student politics is banned.