A member of Jahangirnagar University Chhatra Dal’s convening committee has resigned from her post, citing unease over the unit’s internal affairs, “unwanted incidents” and what she described as a political and organisational environment increasingly at odds with her values.
Sumaiya Sultana Chhia, a 52nd-batch student of the university’s Department of Fine Arts, announced her resignation in a Facebook post on Thursday night.
In a comment under the post, she offered a sharper explanation for her decision.
“If you protest, you end up being expelled,” Chhia wrote. “Isn’t it better to leave voluntarily than be expelled?”
She did not specify what she had protested, who might expel her or whether she had been threatened with disciplinary action.
In her original post, Chhia said she had long been involved in politics because of her belief in the ideals of late President Ziaur Rahman, Bangladeshi nationalism and democracy.
But she said the current political and organisational situation within the Jahangirnagar University unit of Chhatra Dal, the BNP’s student wing, no longer aligned with her beliefs, values or expectations.
She referred to internal organisational matters, “unwanted incidents” and the broader political environment as reasons for her growing discomfort, without providing details about the incidents.
“Acting from my conscience and values, I have decided to refrain from campus politics for the time being,” she wrote.
Chhia, however, stressed that the resignation did not amount to abandoning her political beliefs.
“I am stepping down from a post, not from an ideology,” she wrote.
She described her departure from JU Chhatra Dal politics as a temporary break and said she could consider returning if she believed the organisation was being run in accordance with Ziaur Rahman’s ideals and with discipline, principles and organisational values.
Contacted by Daily Waadaa, JU Chhatra Dal Convener Zahir Uddin Mohammad Babar said Chhia’s resignation was her own decision.
“It was her personal decision,” Babar said, declining to comment further on the reasons she cited.
Chhia’s reference to possible expulsion leaves unanswered questions about the circumstances leading to her resignation. Her Facebook post did not identify any individual or specific dispute behind the decision.
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