Students attempting to distort the true history of Bangladesh’s independence now find themselves in a similar limbo.

Many former and current Shibir leaders described on Facebook how they:

• Provided shelter to coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement

• Coordinated domestic and international communications

• Planned protests

• Mobilised activists on the ground

Leaders of the now-dissolved Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti maintain that Shibir leaders and activists participated like everyone else.

The students who have been attempting to distort the true history of Bangladesh’s independence now find themselves in a similar limbo. On 19 February 2025, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, reported that the July uprising activists are currently embroiled in a virtual battle over credit for their achievements, amid disputes regarding the member secretary position in a political party they are about to launch.

Former Islami Chhatra Shibir leaders have taken to Facebook to claim that they were "major stakeholders" in the uprising that led to the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina regime on 5 August last year. However, leaders of the now-dissolved Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti maintain that Shibir leaders and activists participated like everyone else.

Many former and current Shibir leaders described on Facebook how they provided shelter to coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, coordinated domestic and international communications, planned the protests, and mobilised activists on the ground. In response, Abdul Kader, a former coordinator of Students Against Discrimination, wrote that the coordinators were the ones who formulated the nine-point demand, and Shibir merely disseminated it.

Asif Mahmud, a key organiser of the July uprising and an adviser to the ministries of youth and sports, and local government, also weighed in. He wrote, “... Do not distort the history of the July uprising. We will not tolerate any lies about the July uprising, which was achieved through the blood of this generation. Even if I remain silent on everything else, I cannot remain silent on this. Stop the dirty game of hijacking history.”

Amid the tussles on social media over the issue, Shibir President Jahidul Islam issued a statement, saying, “It is essential to know the true history. Those trying to disrupt national unity by taking credit and creating opportunities for third parties will not be forgiven by future generations.”

Md Abu Shadik Kayem, who was the president of Shibir’s Dhaka University unit during the uprising and also a key coordinator of Students Against Discrimination, wrote, “Instead of focusing on important tasks, the current bickering over who will be at the centre of power is akin to mocking the martyrs.”

Chhatra Shakti, a student organisation formed in October 2023, and Shibir, which was not publicly active, worked as the coordinators of the Students Against Discrimination platform that spearheaded the uprising. Another platform, called the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, was formed on 8 September last year, comprising leaders and activists from various organisations that were involved in the movement.

The 188-member central committee of the Nagorik Committee includes leaders from Chhatra Shakti, at least three former presidents of Shibir’s Dhaka University unit, representatives from Qawmi madrasa-based organisations, Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, the AB Party, Chhatra Union, and Chhatra Federation.

Students Against Discrimination and its civic platform, the Nagorik Committee, are expected to announce a new political party by the end of this month. Meanwhile, the citizens' platform is split into at least three groups over the top posts of the new party's convening committee, according to insiders.

Adviser Nahid Islam is almost certain to be the convener of the new party, while discord has surfaced over the member secretary post. Sources within the Nagorik Committee say that Adviser Mahfuj Alam wants Nagorik Committee Convener Nasiruddin Patwary to hold a top leadership position in the new party. On the other hand, the former Shibir activists on the platform want Ali Ahsan Zonaed, former president of Shibir’s DU unit and a member of the Nagorik Committee’s executive body, to be second-in-command in the new party.

Sources also mentioned that the key policymakers are considering creating senior joint convener and senior member secretary posts to accommodate former Shibir leaders and avoid a potential split.