Chhatra Dal lays siege to EC for second day over 3 issues
Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal are laying siege to the Election Commission (EC) headquarters for a second consecutive day today, Monday, protesting over three issues, including allegations of bias in postal ballots. They say the programme will continue until their demands are met.
On Sunday, Chhatra Dal leaders and activists staged a sit-in in front of the EC headquarters in Agargaon area of Dhaka from 11:00 am until around 8:00 pm, as part of the same programme.
Before ending Sunday’s protest, Chhatra Dal central president Rakibul Islam had announced that the organisation would again lay siege to the EC headquarters today (Monday) over the same issues.
As announced earlier, the second day of laying siege to the EC began around 11:30 am on Monday, with the participation of Chhatra Dal’s central president, general secretary, and several thousand leaders and activists from the organisation’s units at various educational institutions.
Chhatra Dal’s three issues are:
The Election Commission has taken biased and questionable decisions regarding postal ballots, raising serious doubts about the neutrality of the electoral process.
Under pressure from a particular political group, the EC is making reckless and short-sighted decisions instead of responsible and rational ones, calling into question the commission’s independence and professionalism.
Under the direct influence and interference of a specific political party, the EC has issued an unprecedented and controversial notification regarding the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology student union election, which poses a serious threat to democratic practices at the university.
On the ground today, it was seen that law enforcement personnel had set up barricades in front of the main gate of the EC headquarters, while Chhatra Dal leaders and activists blocked the road in front of the barricades and chanted slogans in support of their demands.
Top Chhatra Dal leaders were seen addressing the protesters. During the protest, members of law enforcement agencies were seen maintaining a state of alert.
On Sunday, Chhatra Dal leaders and activists remained stationed in front of the EC for nearly nine hours. At one point around 5:00 pm, a five-member Chhatra Dal delegation held a meeting with the EC, during which they presented their stance on the three issues.
Chhatra Dal leaders said, although they were given assurances by the Election Commission, they have returned to the streets today as their demands have not been met yet.