RUCSU elections: Chhatra Dal vandalises, padlocks treasurer’s office
Leaders and activists of the university unit Chhatra Dal suddenly turned aggressive while staging a sit-in demanding voting rights for first-year students at Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) elections.
Around 10:15 a.m. today, they vandalised a chair placed on the veranda in front of the RUCSU treasurer’s office and overturned a large table. Later, at around 10:30am, they padlocked the gate of the RUCSU building. As a result, the distribution of nomination forms for the election has been suspended.
RUCSU treasurer and chief returning officer for the election, Setaur Rahman, said, “Nomination form distribution was scheduled to start at 10:00am. But they locked the gate and are not letting anyone in. This is obstructing a fair environment. Right now, distribution is suspended. Instead of pursuing their movement democratically, they are acting negatively. To include first-year students in the voter list, the election schedule would have to be canceled. The new students have not yet completed hall attachments or received ID cards. More time is needed for that.”
Meanwhile, at 10:30am, members of the University Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh (UTAB), Rajshahi University unit, expressed solidarity with Chhatra Dal’s program.
The association’s general secretary, Professor Jahangir Hossain, said, “The university administration wants to hand RUCSU over to one particular group. That cannot be allowed. First-year students must be allowed to vote in RUCSU. The environment for that must be created.”
Earlier, at around 9:30am today, Chhatra Dal activists began their sit-in program in front of the RUCSU treasurer’s office at Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium, demanding voting rights for first-year students.
During the programme, they chanted various slogans in favour of their demands.
The university unit Chhatra Dal has been carrying out an agitation for several days with a five-point demand. While the election commission has agreed to most of their demands, no decision has been taken regarding voting rights for first-year students. For this reason, Chhatra Dal has already staged two days of protests and sit-ins. Today, on the last day of nomination form distribution, their leaders and activists began the sit-in in front of the treasurer’s office from morning.
Amid these programmes, on 28 August, Chhatra Dal activists collected nomination forms to contest 28 posts in the RUCSU and Senate student representative elections.
According to Chhatra Dal sources, they collected forms for 23 posts in the central union and 5 posts in the Senate. Among those who collected forms are: university unit organising secretary Mahmudul Hasan, vice presidents Nuruddin Abir, Jannatul Naeem, joint general secretary Jahin Biswas, Shah Muhammad Kafi, Samad Mubin, office secretary Nafiu l Islam, assistant office secretary Siam Bin Aiyub, human rights secretary Rafayetul Islam, publicity secretary R Rafi Khan, Bijoy 24 Hall president Gazi Ferdous Hasan, and Sher-e-Bangla Hall president MH James.
According to the Election Commission, a total of 199 nomination forms had been collected for 23 posts of the central union, 26 for 5 posts of the Senate student representatives, and 370 for various posts of the hall unions up to last Thursday.
Chhatra Dal president Sultan Ahmed (Rahi) said, “The university administration has deliberately excluded nearly four thousand first-year students from the voter list. The admission process and class start dates have repeatedly been delayed only to deprive freshers of their voting rights. We observe that the administration is moving slowly with first-year students’ procedures, which is clearly part of a conspiracy.”
He further alleged that by not publishing the voter list with photographs, the administration has turned the election into a farce. He also accused the authorities of attempting to deprive Hindu students of voting rights by scheduling polling on the day of Durga Puja.
He said Chhatra Dal has already submitted memorandums, held human chains, protest processions, and rallies to press home their demands.
It is our moral duty to prevent any student’s voting rights from being violated. We believe in zero tolerance. This RUCSU election is becoming nothing more than a farce, he added.