DUCSU arranges seminar remembering Abrar Fahad

DUCSU arranged a seminar In Memory of Martyr Abrar Fahad at the RC Majumder Gallery on Tuesday 7 Oct 2025.

Dhaka, 7 October —In memory of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) student Abrar Fahad, who died from brutal torture by the leaders and activists of banned Chhatra League at Sher-e-Bangla Hall, Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) organized a seminar today titled “Indian Hegemonism and Bangladesh’s Sovereignty: In Memory of Martyr Abrar Fahad” at the RC Majumdar Auditorium of Dhaka University.

Speakers at the seminar said that Martyr Abrar Fahad is not merely a name or an individual, but a symbol of Bangladesh’s sovereignty and a beacon of resistance against aggression and hegemonism. Abrar’s martyrdom was a political turning point that awakened the youth of the country against Indian domination and sowed the seeds of the July mass uprising.

They further said that the rise of patriotic young people like Abrar proves that the united resistance of millions of youth is most essential for protecting the sovereignty of the country. The speakers called for building national unity, beyond all party lines and differences, to keep this spirit alive and to build a new Bangladesh.

Presiding over the seminar, DUCSU Vice President Abu Shadiq Kayem said, “Martyr Abrar Fahad has re-energized the young generation of this country. From his protest and resistance, we can learn how to speak against domination and aggression, and how to secure our rights. The July Revolution that happened today — its seeds were essentially sown by Martyr Abrar Fahad. After Abrar’s martyrdom, a generation has been created in every campus across Bangladesh. Later we saw the ‘Safe Road Movement’ and many other movements. A consensus has been growing among the young generation, and we saw its full manifestation in the July Revolution.”

Abrar Fahad’s younger brother, Abrar Faiyaz, said, “Abrar Fahad does not represent any one party or any single particular group. Abrar Fahad is the symbol of our sovereignty. We will truly represent Abrar Fahad as a symbol of sovereignty only when we can stand united, forgetting all divisions, against aggression.”

Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Manch, said, “We will not celebrate Abrar Fahad only because his martyrdom showed us the way to a new Bangladesh. If aggression again descends upon the free borders of Bangladesh, if hegemonism returns, we must prepare ourselves. Again, millions of Abrars must rise — not only in BUET but in every educational institution of Bangladesh.”

Calling Abrar Fahad a name of promise and commitment to all people in Bangladesh devoted to sovereignty, Joban Magazine editor Rezaul Karim Rony said, “The biggest problem in the concept of Bangladesh’s sovereignty is the foundation of geopolitics. The foundation of Bangladesh’s foreign policy has been made to please India. That is why the term ‘friendly state’ was invented.”

“There is no such thing as a friendly state in the world; states are formed on the basis of enemy perception. The reason I am a separate state, a state of exception, a distinct one — is because I see other states as my adversary. But we have been taught the concept of a ‘friendly state’ through the Awami narrative of ’71. Here, the dominance of Indian Bengali nationalism has been mainstreamed culturally and literarily in such a way that being a one-sided friend has become a matter of pride and honor,” Rony added.

The seminar was inaugurated by Abrar Fahad’s father, Md. Barkat Ullah. Other speakers included Manarat International University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Mohammad Abdur Rob, Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, former Islami Chhatra Shibir president Engineer Sirajul Islam, and United People’s Bangladesh chief organizer Rafe Salman Rifat. - UNB