Abrar Farabi, the current president of the Sohrawardi Hall unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir at the University of Chittagong (CU), was previously affiliated with the ruling party`s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). Several of his old Facebook posts criticizing Jamaat-e-Islami and Chhatra Shibir, made during his time in BCL, have recently gone viral, sparking widespread discussion on social media.
Screenshots of the posts, shared from a Facebook account under the name `N U Abrar Farabi,` show content supportive of BCL and opposing Jamaat-Shibir. One photo shows him with former Chittagong City Mayor and General Secretary of the city Awami League, A J M Nasir Uddin. In another, he is seen wishing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her birthday.
In a post dated December 29, 2021, he referred to Jamaat-Shibir as "killers." On November 14, 2022, he wrote that BCL leader and former CU Proctor Dr. Robiul Hasan Bhuiyan was once jailed in a false case filed by Chhatra Shibir.
Speaking to the media, Abrar acknowledged his past affiliation with Chhatra League. "I was involved with BCL until June 2022. From 2023, I fully joined Chhatra Shibir and have not lived in the hall since then. After becoming a Shibir member, I received a leadership position," he said.
"I became active during the mass uprising that began in July," he added. "I formed a group called the Anti-Discrimination Movement of the University. I don’t deny being in Chhatra League, but I have not been involved with BCL activities since June 2022."
Chhatra Shibir`s CU unit president Mohammad Ali confirmed Abrar’s transition, stating, "The posts being circulated are from 2021-2022, when he was still in BCL. He later followed Shibir`s organizational protocols and moved up through the ranks."
Mohammad Ali further clarified, "He has been serving in the Sohrawardi Hall unit since before August 2024 and was appointed as its president in January this year."
