Bangladesh Students' Union (, abbreviated as BSU) is a

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

student organization in Bangladesh. The organization was established on 26 April 1952. The organization is the mass organization of

Communist Party of Bangladesh The Communist Party of Bangladesh (, abbreviated: CPB) is a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Bangladesh. History After the partitioning of India in 1947, during the 2nd Congress of the Communist Party of India in Calcu ...

. During the Independence War of Bangladesh, the organization had its guerrilla force.Sengupta, Arkaprava.
Red Guerrillas: The Forgotten Fighters of the Bangladesh Liberation War
'

Goals

The organization has been advocating for a non-discriminatory, science-based, non-communal, and progressive educational policy. The Students' Union believes that addressing the challenges in the educational journey and establishing the supremacy of students' rights require eliminating exploitation and inequality from society.

History

In April 1952, a regional conference was held in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

to address the challenges and issues posed by the

Bengali language movement The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh) in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government ...

where the decision was made to form a united student organization focusing on unity among all students, irrespective of nationality, religion, and caste. The decision aimed at fostering a collective consciousness with an anti-communal, democratic,

anti-imperialist Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is opposition to imperialism or neocolonialism. Anti-imperialist sentiment typically manifests as a political principle in independence struggles against intervention or influenc ...

, and progressive political awareness. As a result, on 26 April 1952, the East Pakistan Students' Union was established in Dhaka based on the principles of unity, education, peace, and progress. The founding leaders of this organization were Kazi Anwarul Azim and Syed Abdus Sattar. Later, in December 1952, at the first conference, Mohammad Sultan was elected as the president, and Mohammad Elias as the general secretary. It was during this conference that the organization's declaration and constitution were announced. At its birth, the organization was named "Pakistan Students' Union." However, during the first conference in December 1952, the decision was made to establish a separate organization based on

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

as the two regions of undivided Pakistan had major distinction in economy, social awareness, culture, and heritage. Consequently, the organization was formed with a focus on

, and its name was changed to "East Pakistan Students' Union." After the

independence of Bangladesh The independence of Bangladesh was Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, which is now celebrated as Independence Day (Bangladesh), Independence Day. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March ...

, the organization adopted the current.

Independence War

In February 1971, in an emergency council of the East Pakistan Students' Union, 14 demands were presented regarding democracy. It stated, "The original five language-speaking nations in Pakistan, to separate them from the Federation of Pakistan and establish an independent sovereign state with complete autonomy rights and self-determination." In February 1971, during the tenth congress of the

International Union of Students The International Union of Students (IUS) was a worldwide nonpartisan association of university student organizations. The IUS was the umbrella organization for 155 such students' organizations across 112 countries and Territory (administrative ...

held in Europe, specifically in the then

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

(present-day

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

, with its capital in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

), representatives of the Students' Union from Bangladesh presented the just demands and struggles of the people of East Pakistan. This significant event had the participation of student representatives from over a hundred countries globally. On 1 March 1971, in response to the cancellation of the parliamentary session, the Students' Union organized a protest rally near Baitul Mukarram Mosque and a nationwide strike on 2 March. From the beginning of March, student gatherings were organized daily at the

Central Shaheed Minar The Shaheed Minar ( romanised: 'Shohid Minar' ) is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during the Bengali Language Movement demonstrations of 1952 in then East Pakistan. On 21 and 22 February 1952 ...

, where the ongoing events and political circumstances were briefed. Following the

7 March Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman The 7th March Speech of Mujib, or the 7/3 Speech (), was a public speech given by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh on 7 March 1971 at the Ramna Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka to a gathering of over one milli ...

, Students' Union started their preparations for a prolonged struggle for the independence of East Pakistan. At the University of Dhaka's central field, Students' Union initiated military drills and weapons training, including handling dummy rifles, starting each morning. Female activists of the organization also participated in this training. Separate brigades were formed in the names of the martyrs and revolutionaries, each taking political responsibilities alongside receiving military training, including guerrilla warfare. Furthermore, the Students' Union, from its side, conducted extensive political campaigns in districts and primary branches. They organized the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

in rural areas. In the villages, they instigated movements among farmers, and under the coordination of the

, regular parade programs were conducted. On the night of 25 March 1971, leaders of the Dhaka University unit of Students' Union, including Aajim and Shushil, along with several others, were killed by Pakistani Forces in

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was a military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the operation on the basis of ant ...

. In 6 May 1971, a press conference was held in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

by the Students' Union regarding the Independence War. The conference highlighted the overall situation of the genocide and the resistance struggle, creating widespread awareness internationally. After the commencement of the war, this was the first kind of press conference in favor of Bangladesh, where detailed descriptions of the atrocities and genocide by the

Pakistani military The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the Military, military forces of Pakistan. It is the List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel, world's sixth-largest military measured by Active duty, active military personnel and c ...

were provided. On 10 May 1971, the International Union of Students (IUS) and the

World Federation of Democratic Youth The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...

(WFDY), along with other international student and youth organizations from all countries, sent letters urging support and cooperation for Bangladesh's independence and the Independence War. Subsequently, student and youth organizations worldwide swiftly started expressing support for Bangladesh's independence and the Independence War, initiating widespread solidarity. In May, as part of the Students' Union's initiative, a special guerrilla force was formed in collaboration with the

National Awami Party (Muzaffar) The National Awami Party (Muzaffar), is a left wing political party in Bangladesh. History National Awami Party (Muzaffar) traces its origin to a split of the National Awami Party into two factions, one pro-China and one pro-Moscow. The pro-Mos ...

and

to manage and conduct the war. On 28 May, near Salonibari,

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

, training commenced. After the training, under the leadership of the Operation Planning Committee, the induction of guerrillas within the country, along with guerrilla operations and military coordination, was initiated. By the end of September, this special force was engaged in small-scale operations. The number of operations increased in October and November. Successful campaigns were conducted one after another in areas such as Raipur, Monohardi, Shibpur, Comilla, Noakhali, Chittagong, and greater Barisal. On 11 November, a fierce battle took place between the guerrilla force and the Pakistani Forces in the bordering Betia of Cumilla. In this battle, 9 guerrilla fighters, including Students' Union leader Nizamuddin Azad, Sirajul Monir, and Shahidullah Saud, died.

Controversy

On 17 January 2025, Meghmallar Basu, President of the Students' Union, Dhaka University, faced criticism for a social media post calling for "

Red Terror The Red Terror () was a campaign of political repression and Mass killing, executions in Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia which was carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police ...

". The post sparked widespread debate and was condemned by various political and social groups, intensifying tensions within student politics. Critics argued that such rhetoric promoted political violence, while supporters maintained that it was a symbolic call for resistance against oppression. On 11 March 2025, members of the Students' Union, along with other leftist organizations, were accused of attacking police officers without provocation during an anti-rape march. The protest, initially organized to demand justice for victims of sexual violence, escalated into clashes with law enforcement. Following the incident, authorities filed a case against 12 individuals, including Meghmallar Basu and Adrita Roy, a student leader of Students' Union,

Jagannath University Jagannath University (JnU) () is a public university located in Sadarghat, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded as ''Dhaka Brahma School'' in 1858 and renamed ''Jagannath School'' in 1872, and later renamed ''Jagannath College'' in 1884, the institution wa ...

, on charges of violence and public disorder. In April 2025, the Students' Union faced criticism following a press release condemning the renaming of the traditional

Mangal Shobhajatra Mangal Shobhajatra, officially titled as Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra, is a mass procession that takes place at dawn on the first day of the Bengali New Year in Bangladesh. The procession is organised by the teachers and students of the Fa ...

. In their statement, the Union described the decision as a surrender by the

interim government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revolut ...

to a fascist communal mob. This use of strong political language triggered backlash on social media and from the general public, who accused the organization of using inflammatory rhetoric. On 26 October 2024, following the announcement of the

Rajshahi University The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a Public university, public research university located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59 ...

unit committee of the Bangladesh Students' Union, controversy arose over President Masud Kibria's past involvement with the banned and controversial

Bangladesh Chhatra League Bangladesh Chhatra League, simply Chhatra League (), is the student wing of the political party, Bangladesh Awami League, founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948. The organisation is banned and listed as a terrorist organisation in B ...

organization in Bangladesh. He admitted to attending its programs during his first year to secure a dormitory seat but later became inactive. Similar allegations were made against Assistant General Secretary Muqtadir Karim Kuasha.

References

External links