Controversy has surfaced at Rajschahi University after the local chapter of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir publicly challenged the official expenditure claims made by Salahuddin Ammar, General Secretary of the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RAKSU). Student wing leaders have asserted that the financial figures submitted for administrative operations lack practical justification, prompting heated discussions across the campus.
The dispute came to light during a formal press briefing held on Tuesday within the university premises. Addressing journalists in attendance, University Shibir President Mujahid Faisal raised serious concerns regarding how administrative funds have been managed by the student union executive. He specifically alleged that the RAKSU General Secretary had claimed approximately 370,000 BDT under transport and hospitality allowances, a sum the organisation regards as entirely disproportionate to actual operational requirements.
According to Faisal, student representatives aligned with their faction held internal consultations to review the financial documentation of various union portfolios. Their findings indicate that cumulative expenditures across six specific departments—namely cultural affairs, environment and social welfare, media and publication, information and research, women’s affairs, and literature and debate—totalled roughly 36,000 BDT. The Shibir leadership maintained that even across other administrative divisions, spending should not realistically exceed 10,000 to 20,000 BDT per sector.
Emphasising structural independence, the Shibir president noted that because Ammar was not elected from their supported electoral alliance, the organisation bears no institutional or moral responsibility for his personal accounts or financial decisions. They urged complete transparency and accountability regarding the utilisation of student union funds.
Prior to addressing the financial controversy, the university branch of Chhatra Shibir submitted a comprehensive memorandum to the vice-chancellor, outlining a five-point charter of demands. Their core propositions included the prompt announcement of an official schedule for upcoming RAKSU elections, the guarantee of one hundred percent residential accommodation for all enrolled students, the introduction of financial allowances for non-residential scholars, the establishment of a fully equipped medical centre, and the revitalisation of the dormant university senate.
