# Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal

Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী ছাত্রদল, lit. 'Bangladesh Nationalist Student Party'; abbreviated as JCD), popularly known as Chatradal or Chatra Dal, is a Bangladeshi student organisation affiliated with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Many of the top BNP leaders and policy-makers today were once closely associated with JCD and developed as student leaders.

## History and organisation

After the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was founded by Ziaur Rahman, he realized a strong student organization was needed to cherish future BNP leaders, and established Chatradal on January 1, 1979. Chatradal has adopted the 19-point programme, based on the mother party BNP's structure and approach. Chatradal was one of the vanguard organisations in the pro-democratic mass uprising against military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal is led by a committee, of whom all the members are students. Chatradal has 736 member national committee. The committee formed in 2016 came under criticism from party activists for including nonstudents and people with criminal cases filed against them; despite Chairperson of BNP Khaleda Zia forbidding it. It also had members, who were victims of forced disappearances.

## Controversies

In 2004, members of JCD harassed the NGO Proshika, resulting in damage to its headquarters and two local offices in Mehdiganj, Barisal. These events occurred under the then coalition government. On 11 September 2004, JCD activists targeted opposition student groups, journalists, and vandalized the office of Dhaka University Teachers Association president AAMS Arefin Siddique. Additionally, on 15 October 2015, a conflict between Chatradal and Chhatrashibir at BL College in Daulatpur led to the deployment of Border Guard Bangladesh and riot police.
In 2002, Sony, a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, died in a shootout between two factions of Chatradal. On 19 November 2006, JCD members attacked and injured five activists of Chhatra Sangram Parishad and detonated bombs at Dhaka University. The police filed cases against 150 JCD activists for attacking law enforcement during factional protests in Sylhet. On 9 November 2008, Ashraful Islam Pintu, the president of the Jhenaidah unit of JCD, was arrested with a gun and bomb.
On 19 January 2010, factional clashes within Chatradal resulted in injuries to 25 people, including a proctor and four police officers. On 12 December 2010, 200 JCD activists attacked their own headquarters in Naya Paltan over the formation of a unit committee. Saiduzzaman Pasha, a Dhaka University JCD activist, was arrested on 28 January 2010 after photos of him armed with a gun during factional clashes emerged; he faced several criminal charges, including extortion.
On 26 May 2013, JCD members vandalized 25 vehicles during protests in support of Tarique Rahman in Dhaka. On 15 August 2013, JCD engaged in factional clashes during Khaleda Zia's birthday celebration in Chittagong, damaging private property. On 28 November 2013, JCD attacked a demonstration by the Bangladesh Awami League's student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League in Narsingdi, resulting in the deaths of two Chhatra League members.
Factional clashes among JCD activists in front of the BNP office in Naya Paltan on 17 March 2014 left 10 activists injured. On 7 March 2015, a JCD leader was injured while attempting to build a bomb in Chittagong. On 19 July 2015, the central president of JCD, Rajib Ahsan, and five associates were arrested with the drug Ya Ba in Dumki upazila, Patuakhali.

## List of presidents and general secretaries

| | Presidents | Later role/Affiliation | General secretaries | Later role/Affiliation |
| 1 | Enamul Karim Shahid | | AKM Golam Hossain | Professor, Dept of Government and Politics, Jahangirnagar University |
| 2 | Golam Sarwar Milon | Ex MP, Jatiya Party | | |
| 3 | Shamsuzzaman Dudu | Vice-chairman, Ex MP BNP | | |
| 4 | Jalal Ahmed | | | |
| 5 | Dr. Asaduzzaman Ripon | Vice-chairman, BNP | Amanullah Aman | Joint Secretary General, BNP Ex State Minister |
| 6 | Amanullah Aman | Joint Secretary General, BNP Ex State Minister | | |
| 7 | Ruhul Kabir Rizvi | Joint Secretary General, Spokesperson, BNP | Ilias Ali | Ex MP, BNP |
| 8 | AKM Fazlul Haque Milon | President, Gazipur District BNP, Ex MP | | |
| 9 | Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee | Joint Secretary General, BNP, Ex MP | Habib Un Nabi Sohel | Joint Secretary General, BNP |
| 10 | Habib Un Nabi Sohel | Joint Secretary General, BNP | | |
| 11 | Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu | Ex MP, BNP | Shahabuddin Laltu | |
| 12 | Shahabuddin Laltu | | Azizul Bari Helal | Information Secretary, BNP |
| 13 | Azizul Bari Helal | Information Secretary, BNP | Shafiul Bari Babu | President, Jatiotabadi Sessasebok Dol, BNP |
| 14 | Sultan Salahuddin Tuku | President, Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Jubo Dal | Amirul Islam Khan Alim | Assistant Publicity and Publications Secretary, BNP |
| 15 | Abdul Kader Jewel Bhuiyan | General Secretary, Jatiotabadi Sessasebok Dol, BNP | Habibur Rashid Habib | |
| 16 | Rajib Ahsan | | Akramul Hasan | |
| 17 | Fazlur Rahman Khokon | | Iqbal Hossain Shyamal | |
| 18 | Kazi Rawnakul Islam | | Saif Mahmud Jewel | |
| 19 | Rakibul Islam Rakib | | Nasir Uddin Nasir | |