The Dhaka University unit of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti has accused the university administration of indifference and unplanned decision-making in observing Victory Month on campus.

At a press conference held at the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association office at 10pm on Wednesday, the organisation’s DU unit president, Tahmid Al Muddassir Chowdhury, said that DU traditionally marks Victory Month with commemorative events, lighting and cultural programmes honouring the Liberation War, but this year the campus lacks the usual festive and respectful environment.

He criticised what he called the administration’s passive role and the apathy of DUCSU representatives. Referring to the November 21–22 earthquake, he said students were asked to vacate residential halls with only a day’s notice and academic activities were suspended without proper consultation.

Although the university later extended the vacation until 28 December, he claimed no clear updates had been given about the condition of the halls or progress in technical inspections.

The leaders alleged that the prolonged vacation was announced without expert opinion and might be politically motivated, potentially benefiting a particular political group while allowing DUCSU representatives to continue election-related activities.

They also complained that cultural organisations could not organise Victory Month programmes at TSC and Payra Chattar due to ongoing renovation work, which they said could have been arranged outside December.

Speakers at the briefing criticised a DUCSU representative for citing the number of martyred and tortured heroines as “thousands”, calling it a distortion of Liberation War history.

Tahmid said the silence on campus during Victory Month was “deeply worrying” and warned that administrative inertia and the inaction of elected representatives were undermining Liberation War-centric activities. He further claimed that attempts were being made to politically control the university ahead of the national polls.