The Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) has strongly protested against the press conference organized by Islami Chhatra Shibir at Madhur Canteen of Dhaka University. The central committee of JCD issued a statement on Sunday expressing its opposition to the event.

The JCD statement emphasized that Madhur Canteen, a historical hub of student politics at Dhaka University, was named after Madhusudan Dey (Madhuda), who was martyred on March 25, 1971, during Operation Searchlight by the Pakistani occupation forces. According to the statement, Jamaat-e-Islami and its then-student wing, Islami Chhatra Sangha, actively collaborated with the Pakistani military during the Liberation War, opposing Bangladesh’s independence. The moral responsibility for the killing of Madhuda, JCD asserted, rests with Jamaat-e-Islami and its student organization, now known as Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The statement further described the press conference organized by Islami Chhatra Shibir at Madhur Canteen as a dishonor to the legacy of Madhuda and an insult to his family. JCD strongly condemned and protested against the presence of Islami Chhatra Shibir at this historic location.

The JCD leaders stated that allowing members of an organization linked to war collaborators to hold an event at Madhur Canteen is an outrageous act. They argued that from a sense of remorse and moral responsibility, Islami Chhatra Shibir should refrain from stepping into Madhur Canteen.

In their remarks, the JCD leaders also mentioned that the mass killings of March 25, 1971, including the martyrdom of Madhuda, led to the historic declaration of independence by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. However, they accused Islami Chhatra Shibir of attempting to undermine the Liberation War by portraying it as an Indian conspiracy, thus disrespecting the freedom fighters and martyrs. The JCD stated that the presence of Islami Chhatra Shibir at Madhur Canteen is an attempt to tarnish the historical significance of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.