Last year, the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) platform stood as the moral engine of a historic moment. It united a restless generation and, for a brief moment, people of all ages found hope in its banner as students shook the foundations of a draconian political order. The July-August uprising in 2024 promised more than a revolt. It promised a new kind of politics that placed conscience above opportunism. Unfortunately, that same banner now stands smeared by scandal. Over the past week, several SAD-affiliated leaders were arrested for allegedly demanding Tk 50 lakh from a former AL MP’s family in Gulshan, and it was later discovered that they also pressured another former MP into signing cheques worth crores. These are not petty lapses. They go to the core of what gave SAD its moral legitimacy.
Since this development, SAD has expelled the accused and dissolved all of its committees across the country, except for the central committee. Former leaders, including Umama Fatema, have said that this is not an isolated incident but the product of a culture that tolerated closeness to power without accountability. This is not the first such allegation. It is, however, the first time the rot has broken through the surface for