Rajshahi University vice-chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib on Monday said that the battle of Plassey continued to remind the nation of how betrayal and lack of political unity could lead to national catastrophe.
He made the remark while speaking at a rally organised to mark the historic Plassey Day on the RU campus.
Under the banner of the Centre for Heritage Studies, RU teachers and students brought out a silent procession at 10:00am in front of the university’s administrative building and later held a rally in front of the RU Senate Building.
Reflecting on the devastating consequences of betrayal and disunity during the battle of Plassey in 1757, Saleh Hasan said that Plassey Day taught us that when personal interests overrode national unity, people might descend into darkness.
‘Unfortunately, we still have not fully internalised this lesson. It requires a conscious and collective mentality. Plassey Day should inspire us to reflect deeply on how disunity and selfishness can poison a nation,’ he said.
RU proctor Professor Mahbubur Rahman stressed the need to identify and resist modern-day traitors. ‘We must learn from this day to stand firm against those who conspire against the country and the nation.’
He also mentioned that it should be our collective pledge to distance ourselves from betrayal and those who commit it.
Student adviser Amirul Islam Kanak said that the loss at Plassey was not merely territorial. ‘In the then period, we just did not just lose sovereignty; we also lost the freedom of cultural and artistic expression.’
‘A foreign culture was imposed on us. Today, in a free and sovereign Bangladesh, we remember the martyrs of Plassey and reaffirm our commitment to building a culturally rich and independent future,’ he said.
The speakers called for fostering national unity, protecting cultural identity, and remaining vigilant against internal and external threats to sovereignty.
Among others, RU pro-vice-chancellors Professor Mohammad Main Uddin and Professor Farid Uddin Khan, registrar Professor Iftikharul Alam Masud, materials science and engineering department Professor GM Safiur Rahman, former coordinator of Students Movement Against Discrimination Meshkat Chowdhury Mishu, RU unit Chhatra Federation former president Raihan Ali and Uttaran Prakash publisher Mohabbat Hossain Milon spoke at the event.