DU students block Shahbagh seeking city polls deferment

A group of Dhaka University students blocked the Shahbagh intersection in the city on Tuesday afternoon demanding deferment of the polls to the two Dhaka city corporations billed for January 30. 

The students, mostly inmates of DU residential halls, began the blockade programme around 5:00pm after the High Court turned down a writ petition seeking its directive to defer the elections.

The court passed the order considering the progress in the election process and the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations scheduled to take place on February 2.

On January 6, Ashoke Kumar Ghosh, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the writ seeking its directive to defer the polls as Saraswati Puja, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Hindu community, will be celebrated across the country on the day.

On December 22 last, chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda announced the election schedule for the polls to DNCC and DSCC fixing January 30 as the voting date.