DUCSU election in which ballot boxes were snatched

It was 3 September 1973 — a Monday on the calendar. From morning till afternoon, a festive atmosphere prevailed across the Dhaka University campus as voting took place for the hall union and DUCSU elections.

After 5:00pm, the vote counting began. As the sun set and evening fell, whispers and a sense of quiet tension spread. Around that time, electricity was cut off in several male dormitories. Taking advantage of the darkness, armed assailants stormed the halls, firing shots as they arrived in vehicles.

They carried revolvers, sten guns, and various other weapons. In moments, they barged into the vote-counting rooms, pointed weapons at everyone, and shouted for the counting to stop. Before anyone could react, they snatched the ballot boxes and fled.

In 1973, Bangladesh was facing multiple crises. The country's prime minister at the time was Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. There was widespread unrest and disorder. Secret underground groups were carrying out surprise attacks across the country, while the controversial actions, killings, and misconduct of the paramilitary Rakkhi Bahini were drawing criticism. Smuggling was rampant. Even in broad daylight, Members of Parliament from the Awami League were being assassinated by extremists and criminal groups. In short, the newly independent nation was plunged into chaos.

At the same time, the market was increasingly controlled by unscrupulous traders. The prices of essential commodities rose abnormally. In response, the government introduced a ‘ration card’ system to allow ordinary people to buy food at lower prices. However, due to corrupt officials, a large number of fake ration cards ended up in the hands of illegal profiteers.

In this context, the Chhatra League and Chhatra Union launched a campaign on 13 June 1973, to recover fake ration cards. At that time, the two student organisations reached an understanding and worked together. However, the black marketeers were so powerful that the Chhatra League and Chhatra Union failed to recover the illegal ration cards successfully.

As part of a united movement, on 21 July 1973, leaders and activists of Chhatra League and Chhatra Union jointly attended a youth festival in Berlin, East Germany. There, Vietnamese youth chanted slogans like "Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh: Red Red Red Salute," which was widely admired. Upon returning to Bangladesh, Chhatra League members introduced a similar slogan: "Sheikh Sheikh Sheikh Mujib: Take Take Take Salute."
(History of Bangladesh’s Student Movements, Bangabandhu Era – Dr. Mohammad Hannan, p. 36)

Ahead of the DUCSU election, Chhatra League (pro-Mujib) and Chhatra Union formed a joint panel under the banner of Kendrio Chhatra Sangram Parishad (the Central Student Struggle Council). This alliance was not well received in political circles.

On the other hand, the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad), backed by Sirajul Alam Khan—popularly known as Dada Bhai and the founder of the ideological group 'Nucleus'—had by then emerged as the main rival of the Awami League.

Jasad quickly became known as the principal political enemy of the Bangabandhu government. Its student wing, the Chhatra League (aligned with ASM Abdur Rab), gained popularity, attracting a large number of talented students who were drawn to its vision of scientific socialism.

In the previous DUCSU election held on 20 May 1972, Mahbub Zaman of Chhatra Union was elected General Secretary (GS). (Daily Sangbad, 22 May 1972)

On 29 August, in a phone interview with Prothom Alo, Mahbub Zaman said: "At the time, the country was facing famine, floods, and various other crises. To tackle these, Chhatra Union worked jointly with Chhatra League. As a result, we developed a good understanding with them. That’s why, in the DUCSU election on 3 September 1973, Chhatra Union and Chhatra League fielded a joint panel."

It is believed that to curb the rising popularity of the Jasad-backed Chhatra League, the pro-Mujib Chhatra League and Chhatra Union formed a joint panel for the DUCSU election. As part of this alliance, the Chhatra League had to give up nearly half of the seats to Chhatra Union. This led to internal tensions within the Chhatra League, and a faction became inactive during the election campaign.

Meanwhile, due to its role in anti-government movements, the Jasad-aligned Chhatra League gained increasing popularity. In contrast, the Chhatra Union saw a decline in support, as it shifted from being a force of opposition to a more government-aligned, friendly organisation.

In the joint panel of Chhatra League and Chhatra Union, Nuh-ul-Alam Lenin (Chhatra Union) contested for the position of Vice President (VP), and Ismat Kadir Gama (pro-Mujib Chhatra League) ran for General Secretary (GS). On the other hand, the Jasad Chhatra League fielded AFM Mahbubul Haque for VP and Zahurul Islam for GS.

On 4 September 1973—the day after the DUCSU election—The Daily Ittefaq published a boxed news item with the headline: “Gunfire in DUCSU Election: Ballot Boxes Snatched.”

According to Ittefaq’s report: “Although voting in the DUCSU and hall union elections was completed peacefully yesterday, the university area was shaken in the evening during vote counting due to the use of automatic weapons. Except for Ruqayyah Hall and Shamsunnahar Hall, most of the ballot boxes from other halls were snatched at gunpoint. However, the DUCSU ballot boxes were not taken, as they had already been brought under tight security to the Arts Building immediately after the vote ended.

According to the latest reports, DUCSU vote counting has been suspended.”

The report further states: “For yesterday’s unfortunate incident, Kendrio Chhatra Sangram Parishad (the Central Student Struggle Council) and the Chhatra League faction supported by Rab blamed each other. As of 12:30am, gunfire was still ongoing in the university area, and extreme tension was prevailing. General students began leaving their dormitories as soon as the shooting started.”

Ittefaq also reported: “In the Shamsunnahar Hall election, the Central Student Struggle Council (comprising Chhatra League and Chhatra Union) won 8 out of 12 seats, including the posts of Vice President and General Secretary. The remaining seats were won by the Rab-supported faction of the Chhatra League.”

Meanwhile, the Daily Purbodesh ran an extensive report with photos on the chaotic DUCSU election. Their headline read: “Peaceful DUCSU Election: Panic Erupts Amid Evening Gunfire.”

According to Purbodesh: "After a peaceful day of voting in the DUCSU election, heavy gunfire erupted in the university area during the evening using automatic weapons, leading to the suspension of vote counting. Shortly after the counting began, gunfire broke out in various halls across the university. In some halls, the lights suddenly went out. Taking advantage of the darkness, ballot boxes were reportedly snatched from several halls.”

The report included a subheadline: “Ballots Snatched in the Dark: During vote counting, the lights suddenly went out in the hall. Taking advantage of the blackout, ballots were snatched at gunpoint. The identity of the perpetrators remains unknown, according to reliable sources.”

The newspaper Banglar Bani, edited by Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, also published a photo report on the disrupted election. Its headline read: “DUCSU Election Was Conducted Peacefully: Armed Miscreants Snatched Ballot Boxes at Night.”

Meanwhile, on 4 September, Gonokantho, the mouthpiece of Jasad, dedicated multiple stories to the election violence. The front-page headline read: “An Unprecedented Act of Barbarism in the University Arena: Ballot Verdict Overturned by the Language of Weapons.”

Edited by poet Al-Mahmud, Gonokantho published photos showing two members of the Jasad-aligned Chhatra League injured during the violence.

The report stated: “Yesterday, Monday, elections were held for the central and hall student unions of Dhaka University. From morning until around 3:00pm, the university remained relatively peaceful except for a few minor incidents. But around 3:00pm, goons from the so-called Chhatra Sangram Parishad launched an attack on Shahidullah Hall, known as a stronghold of the Chhatra League.

Two League activists were injured in the attack—one of them, a resident of the hall named Maksud, had his Kawasaki 90cc Honda (Dhaka-E 6387) snatched away by the son of a high-ranking government official. The other injured individual was Tabarak Hossain. According to an eyewitness, after the incident, students began fleeing Shahidullah Hall, and within minutes, the area turned into a deserted ghost town.”

Gonokantho further reported: “At around 7:00pm, the goons first snatched the ballot boxes from Salimullah Hall. They began by cutting the power and firing several rounds of bullets. According to an eyewitness, the ballot boxes were taken at gunpoint while shots were being fired.

In the same manner, Mujibist thugs snatched ballot boxes from Surja Sen Hall, Mohsin Hall, Shahidullah Hall, Fazlul Haque Hall, Zahurul Haque Hall, and Ruqayyah Hall.

They also entered Shamsunnahar Hall, but by then the vote counting had already been completed. To deflect blame and confuse public opinion, they even snatched the ballot box from Jagannath Hall—despite their apparent chances of winning there.”

In his book "History of Bangladesh’s Student Movement During the Bangabandhu Era" (pages 36–37), author and researcher Dr. Mohammad Hannan writes: "Towards the end of election day, the Chhatra League anticipated that the Jasad-aligned Chhatra League was likely to win the DUCSU election. Fearing this outcome, a group of armed individuals snatched ballot boxes from Shahidullah Hall and several other halls.

Had the Mujibist Chhatra League and Chhatra Union been democratically defeated by the Jasad Chhatra League, it would have been a political setback. But the act of stealing the election results caused an even greater political disaster. The entire nation was stunned by the incident, and the student movement fell into an unforeseen crisis.

Researchers of student politics believe that this stain on the DUCSU election can never be erased from the history of Bangladesh’s student movement."

During the DUCSU election, Mahmudur Rahman Manna was the General Secretary of the Jasad-aligned Chhatra League. On the morning of 3 September, after 10:00am, he received news that some outsiders were stamping ballots inside Shahidullah Hall. He rushed there and was briefly detained in the hall’s common room. The individuals who held him were armed with sten guns and revolvers. When news of his detention spread, Jasad Chhatra League activists rushed to Shahidullah Hall, prompting the armed men to flee.

On 31 August, Manna told Prothom Alo: “The ’73 DUCSU election was hijacked. It had become apparent that Chhatra League and Chhatra Union were going to lose. That’s why the thugs from the pro-Mujib Chhatra League cast fake votes during the day and snatched ballot boxes in the evening.”

Manna added that at the time, Professor Abdul Matin Chowdhury was the Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University, and Professor Odudur Rahman was in charge of overseeing the election. According to him, both failed completely to prevent violence in the DUCSU election.

Nuh-ul-Alam Lenin (Chhatra Union), who was the VP candidate from the Chhatra Sangram Parishad panel, told Prothom Alo on 29 August: “Chhatra Union won in Shamsunnahar Hall. In the evening, when we heard about the ballot box hijacking at Surya Sen Hall, I rushed there. But we couldn’t stop the attackers because they were armed.”

Lenin remarked: “Someone must have been behind the ballot box snatching in the halls. Otherwise, how could such a well-conducted election be so badly disrupted? My guess is that some members of the Chhatra League might have been involved.”

Mujahidul Islam Selim of Chhatra Union was elected Vice President in the DUCSU election held on 20 May 1972.

On 29 August, he told Prothom Alo: "3 on September 1973, I committed a mistake. Following advice from CPB leaders, I issued a statement to the media accusing Jasad Chhatra League of involvement in the armed ballot box hijacking at the halls. That day, I lied. In reality, Jasad Chhatra League was not involved in the ballot box hijacking. This was a major error in my political life. Many years later, I issued a statement apologising to the nation for that incident."

In 1973, Mohiuddin Ahmad, a journalist for the Ganakantha newspaper and a resident of Mohsin Hall at Dhaka University, witnessed the vote counting for the student council election in the hall auditorium on the evening of 3 September.

Recalling the event to Prothom Alo on 31 August, he said: "Voting was peaceful during the day. But in the evening, as the counting progressed and it became clear that the Mahbub-Johur panel of Jasad Chhatra League was going to win, leaders and activists of the pro-Mujib Chhatra League and Chhatra Union entered Mohsin Hall with armed outsiders, firing shots and looting the ballot boxes. Similar acts of vote rigging occurred in other halls, aiming to prevent Jasad Chhatra League from winning."

Mohiuddin Ahmad added, "Later, the university authorities declared that controversial election void. As a result, the winning panel from the 1972 DUCSU election (led by Selim and Mahbub) continued to serve until the next election was held in mid-1976."

Teacher and researcher Morshed Shafiul Hasan was a student of Mohsin Hall in 1973. He was a university reporter for the newspaper Sangbad. On 3rd September, to gather news about the DUCSU election, he went to Zahurul Haq Hall in the evening accompanied by Sangbad’s deputy editor GM Yakub.

From there, they proceeded to SM Hall. Upon arriving at the lane of SM Hall, they heard several rounds of gunfire. Suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the entire area into darkness. A few young men hurried over and, in a threatening tone, asked who they were and what they were doing there. When they identified themselves as journalists, the young men ordered Morshed Shafiul Hasan and GM Yakub to leave immediately.

Later, Morshed Shafiul Hasan and GM Yakub went to Jagannath Hall, where they waited in the provost’s room for the election results. Amidst the commotion, they heard that the ballot boxes had been hijacked. Afterward, they took a rickshaw and went to the Sangbad office in Bangshal.

Morshed Shafiul Hasan told Prothom Alo, “After we got to the office, senior journalists grilled us. MR Badal, Hasan Ali, Tozammel Ali, and Baby Maudud, among others, excitedly asked what had happened at the university. We said the ballot boxes had been hijacked. When asked who had done it, we mentioned the names of the Jasad Chhatra League members. At that moment, Santosh Gupta, Sangbad’s news editor, arrived. He took me aside and asked me to tell the truth—who had hijacked the ballot boxes? When I named the Jasad Chhatra League, he said, "Impossible. No one could have done this without the support of the government party."

That day, I wasn’t assigned to report any news. The next day, Sangbad ran a lead news story blaming the Jasad Chhatra League for the DUCSU election incident.

He added, “The joint panel had created a visible ‘mass wave’ on campus through large rallies and other events. However, the silent anti-government and traditional anti-establishment sentiments among ordinary students at that time were reflected in the election results, which is why the Jasad Chhatra League’s votes increased. I believe that if the ballot boxes hadn’t been hijacked, the Mahbub–Zahur panel would have definitely won. I even think some members or workers of the Mujibist Chhatra League voted for AFM Mahbubul Haque for the vice president position.”

*Bayezid Ahamed, special correspondent at Prothom Alo