Dhaka, July 28 (V7N) — The central committee of the anti-discrimination student movement in Bangladesh has suspended the operations of all its regional committees nationwide following allegations of extortion and misconduct by several members. The announcement was made during an emergency press conference held on Sunday at Shahbagh in the capital.
 
Rifat Rashid, President of the movement’s central committee, stated, “As per the organizational structure, all regional committees across the country are hereby suspended, with the exception of the central committee.” He explained that misuse of the movement’s name had led to serious misconduct, prompting the need for immediate organizational control.
 
“From the very day of our formation, we warned that the platform must not be misused. Unfortunately, many individuals have attempted to exploit the banner of this movement for unethical purposes. We strongly condemn this and call upon law enforcement to take appropriate legal action against those involved,” Rifat said.
 
The announcement follows a major controversy that erupted on Friday, when three members of the movement’s Dhaka Metropolitan unit — Ibrahim Hossain Munna, Md. Sakadaun Siam, and Sadab — along with Abdur Razzak Riyad, a member of the Bangladesh Democratic Students’ Council’s central committee, were accused of attempting to extort money from former Awami League MP Shammi Ahmed at her residence in Dhaka's Gulshan area. All four were later arrested and have since been permanently expelled from their respective organizations.
 
In the wake of the arrests, on Saturday night, Umama Fatema — a former coordinator and spokesperson for the movement — posted a photo of the arrested individuals on her verified Facebook account. Fatema, who stepped down from the organization last month, wrote, “It’s almost laughable how surprised everyone pretends to be about this extortion scandal. The truth is, this isn’t the first time — it’s just the first time they got caught. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find their roots run quite deep.”
 
The fallout continued as Khadija Akter Keya, spokesperson of the Muradnagar upazila unit, announced her resignation via social media on Saturday afternoon. In her post, she wrote, “The person I committed theft for now calls me a thief — who said that wouldn’t apply to me? I was once a responsible worker for this movement, but from today I sever all ties with it.”
 
In light of these developments, the central leadership convened on Sunday afternoon and formally suspended all non-central operations. Rifat Rashid concluded the press conference by stating that future plans for the movement will be deliberated internally before any new announcements are made.
 
The anti-discrimination student movement, initially hailed as a rising voice in youth activism, now faces a critical moment in its existence as it seeks to recover credibility and reestablish discipline within its ranks.
 
END/SMJ/SMA/