JUCSU: Army and BGB to be deployed for security

The election commission is taking various steps to ensure that the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) and hall union elections are held smoothly.

On election day, members of the Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Ansar, alongside the police, will also be on duty for security.

This decision was made at a meeting of the JUCSU election commission yesterday, Saturday.

For the first time in 33 years, elections will be held on 11 September for 25 JUCSU posts and 15 posts in each of the 21 residential halls.

A total of 273 nomination papers have been submitted for the JUCSU polls. Scrutiny of the nomination papers will begin today, Sunday, and the draft candidate list will be published on 25 August.

According to sources at the election commission office, in line with Saturday’s decision, 40 security personnel — 20 from the army and 20 from the BGB — will be deployed on election day.

They will be stationed in front of the university’s main gate. In addition, at least five police officers will be deployed at each of the other university gates.

However, ten police officers will be stationed at each of the following gates: the Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall gate adjacent to the Dhaka–Aricha Highway, the Joy Bangla Gate (Prantik Gate), and the Bishmail Gate.

Commission sources further said that five Ansar members will be on duty at every polling center. Teachers from various departments will serve as returning officers, while university officials and staff will also carry out different election-related responsibilities.

Professor Mafruhi Sattar, member of the election commission and acting dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, told Prothom Alo, "The election commission is making rigorous preparations to conduct the election properly. With everyone’s cooperation, we hope to deliver a free, fair, and successful election."

According to the election commission office, there are 11,919 registered voters in this JUCSU election, of whom 5,817 — nearly 49 per cent — are female students. Despite making up almost half the electorate, women students are not contesting in at least five of the top JUCSU posts, including the vice president (VP) post. Number of female candidates is also very limited in other posts.

Two female candidates collected nomination papers for the general secretary (GS) post, but one is expected to contest instead for assistant general secretary (AGS), while the other may withdraw from the GS race, according to sources. The deadline for withdrawing nomination papers is 28 August.

Altogether, women students submitted 62 nomination papers, 48 of which were for six posts reserved specifically for female candidates. Since some women applied for multiple posts, the actual number of female candidates will be even lower once final choices are made. Similarly, in the hall union elections, women’s participation is also low. In five of the 10 women’s halls, all 15 positions have not been filled.

Prothom Alo spoke with 30 female students from 10 women’s halls on Thursday and Friday to understand why women’s participation in JUCSU is so limited.

Many said that although women were at the forefront of the July mass uprising, they have since faced cyberbullying through various university-based Facebook pages, groups, and “bot” accounts. Because of this, many who initially wanted to run decided not to. Some also said their families did not approve.

Sohaagi Samia, an organiser of the university chapter of the Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, told Prothom Alo, "The women who led from the front during the uprising have been deliberately targeted later to demean them socially. Moreover, the culture of ‘minus politics’ against women within most organisations still persists."

Professor Nahrin Islam Khan of the Department of Geography and Environment observed, "Women at Jahangirnagar have been at the forefront of movements and struggles since the 1980s and 1990s. But their low participation in JUCSU elections has many reasons. The bot forces not only bully and slut-shame female students but also attack female teachers who speak up."

Several faculty members noted that the university administration failed to create enthusiasm among female students regarding JUCSU. Professor Mahmuda Akand of the Philosophy Department said, "Students come to the university from diverse backgrounds. JUCSU is the platform for them to voice their rights. To make them aware of that, there should have been continuous discussions. If small group discussions had been held leading up to the election, female participation might have been higher."

Pro Vice Chancellor (Administration) Professor Sohel Ahmed commented, "When we worked on the JUCSU constitution, meetings were held in every hall, and these issues were discussed there too. Since JUCSU is happening after such a long gap, perhaps the response (from female students) has been less. But this is only the beginning — if the process continues, this problem will gradually be solved."