The July celebration event at Rajshahi University, scheduled for August 5, has been postponed after a letter from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ADSM) unitโs chief to various government and private organisations demanding donations was leaked in the media.
After the media published reports on this, many are standing by Salauddin Ammar, while others are criticising it. Since there is no committee to organise the program, many have raised questions about the transparency of income and expenditure. In the media, Chhatra Dal President Sultan Ahmed Rahi expressed fears of embezzlement of funds.
The incident occurred amid countrywide criticism following the arrest of some leaders of the ADSM and the Bangladesh Democratic Student Union (BDSU)โthe student wings of the Yunus regime-backed National Citizen Party (NCP)โfor extortion in Dhaka, Sylhet, Barishal, and elsewhere.
Even in Rajshahi, the police have prepared a list of extortionists, most of whom are leaders of the ADSM (now defunct), NCP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Former coordinator Salauddin Ammar and KSK Hridoy, director of an organisation called โCampus Bauliana,โ took the initiative to organise a concert called โ36 July: Muktir Utshob.โ
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The two of them sent letters to various institutions, identifying themselves as the event organisers, with the university vice-chancellor, Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib, giving his strong recommendation.
Salahuddin Ammar said that it is not possible to organise the program at the predetermined time due to the โmedia trialโ but that it will be held this month, he told the daily Prothom Alo on Friday afternoon.
He said they did not receive the expected response due to the criticisms. The donation of Tk8 lakh promised by three organisations has been canceled. He said: โA Messenger group was opened in the beginning. There, the preparation of the program has been discussed. At the end of the program, we will provide an account of income and expenditure along with vouchers and receipt copies.โ
Salauddin earlier said that they had set a target of Tk60-65 lakh for the two-day event and sent letters to 14 organisations out of 21 that they selected, along with the proposed budget.
A letter was sent to the mayorโs office of the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) on July 21. They approved Tk2 lakh on July 23.
When asked about this, Vice-Chancellor Saleh Hasan Naqib told Prothom Alo that he has โrecommendedโ not only Salauddin but also all organisations of Rajshahi University that sought cooperation for such work in the past year. He feels it is his responsibility.
The letters said that on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the July movement, the families of the martyrs of Rajshahi, the families of the injured, dignitaries, and respected coordinators will be present at this festival. The main aim of the event is to pay tribute to the martyrs and tell the younger generation the story of their sacrifice.
Salauddin defends
In response to the criticisms, Salauddin Ammar wrote on his Facebook: โSince the question has been raised, I will request the mainstream media to prepare an investigative report. Check my bank account and my parents’ bank balance for the last 5 years and last year. Has any money entered my mother’s account other than her salary as a teacher? To my knowledge, my father may not have any bank account.โ
He also said: โI do not have any accounts other than my bKash and Nagad accounts and an Islami Bank student account. I have not held any meetings in my area, and if you receive any complaints of political influence, you should also investigate that.โ
He said that he had a plan to disclose his assets before the RUCSU elections, adding that there was a scope to become a millionaire. โI got the opportunity to do that.โ
On the other hand, Masud Rana, former president of the universityโs Science Club, wrote on Facebook in support of Ammar.
He said: โI spent a large part of my six years of university life looking for sponsors for events. Today I learned that it is called extortion.โ
Student Adviser Amirul Islam, former coordinators of the ADSM Golam Kibria Md. Meshkat Chowdhury and Mahair Islam, among others, stood by Salauddin Ammar on Facebook.
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