The Academic Council of Dhaka University (DU) has approved an investigation report that declared former Ducsu General Secretary Golam Rabbani’s student status invalid during the 2019 Ducsu election. DU Treasurer Prof M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Proctor Prof Saifuddin Ahmed confirmed this development to The Daily Star.
Previously, the university’s Syndicate, the highest governing body, had temporarily revoked Rabbani’s admission due to concerns regarding academic matters. This decision was referred to the Academic Council for further evaluation.
According to the Proctor, the council endorsed the Syndicate’s resolution based on the probe committee’s findings. The investigation revealed that Rabbani’s enrollment in the MPhil program within the Criminology department prior to the 2019 Ducsu polls was deemed “completely unlawful and executed through deceitful methods, bypassing legitimate protocols.” Consequently, Rabbani’s participation in the Ducsu election was deemed invalid as he did not possess a valid student status at the time.
Prof Jahangir Alam clarified that the meeting focused solely on Rabbani’s student status and did not address the legitimacy of his General Secretary position.
On February 5, 2025, Rashed Khan, the former Ducsu GS candidate, and Md Sanaullah Haque, the DU Chhatra Adhikar Parishad convener, lodged a formal request with DU officials, leading to the formation of the probe committee by the Syndicate. Rashed Khan has consistently advocated for the revocation of Ducsu memberships for all Chhatra League candidates and corrective actions to ensure fairness for affected candidates.
The investigation report also identified irregularities during the 2019 Ducsu and hall union elections, emphasizing the need for further scrutiny before reaching a definitive conclusion.