Protest by IU Chhatra Dal Over Omission of Ziaur Rahman’s Name in Prayer on Mother Language Day

The administration of Islamic University, Bangladesh organized a prayer (munajat) seeking forgiveness for the language martyrs on the occasion of International Mother Language Day. However, leaders and activists of the university’s Chhatra Dal unit protested after the name of the university’s founder, martyred President Ziaur Rahman, was not mentioned during the prayer.

The incident took place around 1:00 am on 21 February at the university’s Shaheed Minar premises. Earlier, at 12:01 am, the university administration paid tribute to the language martyrs by placing wreaths at the memorial. Following the administration’s homage, various groups—including Zia Parishad, Yutab, officers’ and employees’ associations, different faculties and departments, residential halls, the Chhatra Dal unit, Chhatra Union, and several social and cultural organizations—also laid wreaths.

After the tributes, a one-minute silence was observed, followed by prayers seeking forgiveness for the souls of the martyrs. The munajat was led by Ashraf Uddin Khan, Imam and Khatib of the university’s central mosque. However, when the name of Ziaur Rahman was not mentioned in the prayer, members of the Chhatra Dal unit raised objections. They later demanded that the prayer be conducted again, including his name. A second munajat was subsequently held.

Present during the protest were former General Secretary of the IU Chhatra Dal unit Rashedul Islam Rashed, Convener Sahed Ahmed, Member Secretary Masud Rumi Mithun, and other leaders and activists.

Protesting leaders stated that Ziaur Rahman was the founder of Islamic University and questioned why his name had not been mentioned. They argued that omitting his name was unacceptable and demanded that the prayer be repeated with his inclusion.

Convener Sahed Ahmed claimed that the omission appeared intentional, alleging that the university’s celebration committee and administration had deliberately excluded the name. He added that the Imam had never previously failed to mention Ziaur Rahman’s name on such occasions.

In response, Professor Dr. Shahinuzzaman, Convener of the 21 February Celebration Committee and the university’s Proctor, rejected the allegation, calling it baseless. He stated that the Imam had unintentionally omitted the name and later acknowledged the mistake before conducting the prayer again. He emphasized that there was no deliberate intent behind the omission.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Aiyub Ali also said that he had asked the Khatib beforehand to include prayers for Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia, and members of the new government. He suggested that the omission may have been a simple oversight, adding that “people can make mistakes” and that there was no need to create controversy over the matter. Following the students’ protest, the prayer was repeated.

Meanwhile, a verbal altercation reportedly took place at the Shaheed Minar premises between the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and SM Sweet, Convener of the university’s Anti-Discrimination student platform. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor later commented that the student may have misunderstood the situation, but denied that any serious exchange had occurred.