Student bodies demand immediate DUCSU poll, political co-existence

Leaders of different student organisations demanded immediate elections to Dhaka University Central Students Union, due since 1990, ensuring peaceful coexistence of student bodies and healthy political atmosphere on the campus as the university authorities held a meeting with them on Sunday.
After the four hour-meeting at Abdul Matin Chowdhury virtual classroom, Dhaka University vice-chancellor Md Akhtaruzzaman at a briefing said that the DUCSU polls might be held by March 2019 and expressed hope that draft electoral roll for the polls would be prepared by October 2018.
He said that provost committee, disciplinary council and syndicate were already asked to take necessary preparations of holding the polls by March.
The vice-chancellor said that the move was taken for the first time and they exchanged views with student leaders to revive the defunct central students union.
The move came after 15 former students of the university on September 12 petitioned the High Court for charging Dhaka University vice-chancellor, proctor and treasurer with contempt of court for violating a High Court order asking them to hold the DUCSU polls.
Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed student body Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders, brought to the meeting by university administration’s microbus escorted by two assistant proctors, demanded peaceful coexistence of all student organisations on the campus, healthy political atmosphere and allocation of seats at dormitories based on merit for peaceful and fair DUCSU polls. 
The vice-chancellor said that at the briefing that peaceful coexistence was a continuous process and the university authorities already asked hall provosts to take necessary steps to ensure coexistence of student organisations.
He said that Madhus canteen, known as the birthplace of politics, was open to all and there was no restriction on doing politics at the canteen.
Leaders and activists of ruling Awami League-backed student body Bangladesh Chhatra League crowded outside the venue. No Chhatra Dal leaders or activists were, however, seen outside the venue. 
Besides, Chhatra League and Chhatra Dal, left student bodies Chhatra Union, Chhatra Federation, Chhatra Front, Chhatra Moitri, Biplobi Chhatra Moitri, Chhatra League backed by the Jatiya Samajtanrik Dal, among others, attended the meeting.
Different student bodies demanded immediate announcement of the schedule for DUCSU polls while Chhatra League leaders said that the polls should be held at a reasonable time after the preparation of the electoral rolls. 
The student leaders came together to speak to the media after the meeting, when Chhatra League general secretary Golam Rabbani and Chhatra Dal president Rajib Ahsan embraced. 
Golam Rabbani said that the student bodies unanimously reached a consensus on holding the DUCSU polls and that should be in reasonable time, might be in three or four months.
He said that they had no objection to peaceful coexistence, ‘if Chhatra Dal assured that they would engage in no violence and charge no bomb or petrol bomb.’
Chhatra Dal president Rajib Ahsan said that they emphasised that without ensuring political coexistence and democratic environment on the campus, all attempts to hold the polls would go in vein.
On behalf of Progressive Students Alliance, a platform of left student wings, Chhatra Union general secretary Liton Nandi said that they again and again demanded immediate announcement of election schedule as there was no way to defer the long awaited polls in the name of national election.
Socialist Students Front president Imran Habib Rummon said that they demanded the election by November.
On March 4, 2017, president Abdul Hamid, also the chancellor of the university, addressing the 50th convocation of the university, called for the DUCSU polls. 
He had said that in order to develop new leadership and strengthen the democratic foundation of the university, DUCSU election was a must.
The DUCSU polls, however, did not take place in 27 years because of indifference of the successive university administrations and governments reportedly in order to maintain their dominance on the campus.
This practice breached express provisions of Articles 4 and 20 of the Dhaka University Order 1973 and the fundamental rights ensured under the article 27 of the same order.
This violation renders all the senate committees and vice-chancellor elections of the university in the past 27 years unconstitutional as in the senate of DU five seats are reserved for the student representatives that remained vacant since the fall of autocratic regime in 1990.
DUCSU was formed in 1924 after the establishment of Dhaka University in 1921, and its first vice-president was nominated in the 1924-25 academic session. Since then, the vice-president used to be nominated until 1953 when the first election was held.
The latest DUCSU election was held in 1990. It was the sixth election after independence. Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal-backed Aman-Khokon (Amanullah Aman and Khairul Kabir Khokan) panel won the election and they stayed the leaders of the students’ body until its dissolution. 
Dhaka University pro-vice-chancellors (academic and administration), treasurer, proctor, assistant proctors, provosts, and hall wardens joined Sunday’s meeting chaired by vice-chancellor Md Akhtaruzzaman. 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net