BANGLADESH: Authorities at Khulna University have issued directives to rename all student halls and other establishments that were previously named after Hindu-sounding freedom fighters, scholars, Sufi saints, and members of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s family. The move, seen as part of a broader initiative to remove such memorializations, has sparked significant debate in academic and political circles.
An official order issued by the university's registrar on February 12 detailed the name changes of 19 student halls and other buildings. Among the notable changes, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall has been renamed after Bir Sreshtha Mohammad Ruhul Amin. Similarly, the Dr Satyendranath Basu Academic Hall has been rechristened as Bijoy’ 24 Hall, referencing the August 5, 2024, student-led agitation that led to the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Several establishments that previously bore the names of prominent Hindu scholars and intellectuals have also undergone changes. The Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy Central Laboratory, Dr Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta Residential Bhaban, Dr Sukharanjan Samaddar Residential Bhaban, and Dr Gobinda Chandra Deb Residential Bhaban have been renamed with more general designations such as Khulna University Central Laboratory, Professors’ Quarter, Associate Professors’ Quarter, and Assistant Professors’ Quarter, respectively. Similarly, Jibanananda Das Academic Bhaban has been renamed Academic Bhaban 3, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Basu Academic Bhaban is now Academic Bhaban 2, and Satyendranath Basu Academic Bhaban is called Academic Bhaban 1. The Lalan Sai Meeting Room has also been renamed TMC Bhaban.
The renaming spree follows the August 5, 2024, fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime. Under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, authorities have taken swift steps to remove the names of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members from universities and other educational institutions across the country.
Recently, the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement issued an ultimatum, threatening to shut down Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur if authorities did not revert its name to Rangpur University within seven days. The institution, established in 2008, was renamed under the Sheikh Hasina government.
In a similar wave of changes, six government-run medical colleges in Manikganj, Noakhali, Jamalpur, Tangail, Faridpur, and Dinajpur that bore the names of Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and other family members have also been renamed following student-led demands.
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