CITY POLLS DEFERRAL 10 fall sick as students vow to continue hunger strike

At least 10 students of Dhaka University fell sick on the second day of their hunger strike for indefinite period on Friday demanding deferral of the elections to two Dhaka city corporations from January 30 which coincides with Saraswati Puja.

Around 50 students of Dhaka University on Thursday began hunger strike for indefinite period at Raju memorial sculpture on the campus.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote at a press conference on the day in the city announced to boycott the January 30 elections to the two city corporations.

‘We do not have trust in this Election Commission. The aim of fixing the election date on the day of Saraswati Puja day is to keep Hindu voters away from casting votes…We are boycotting the city elections scheduled for January 30,’ said Mohajote spokesperson Palash Kanti Dey in a written statement.

Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader on the day hoped that the Election Commission would reach an acceptable solution over Dhaka city polls showing respect to a religion.

‘The Awami League or the government has no objection if the date of Dhaka city polls is changed as Saraswati Puja will be held on January 30. And it is under jurisdiction of the Election Commission,’ he told a press conference at AL president’s office at Dhanmondi after a secretary-level meeting of the party.

Mayoral candidates from both AL and main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party have also supported the demand for deferral of the city polls for Saraswati Puja.

Utpal Biswas, vice-president of Jagannath Hall students’ union said two resident students of Jagannath hall Apurba Chakrabarty and Orko Saha were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital while eight others were given intravenous saline at the spot as they fell sick during the strike.

He said that students were protesting for several days but the Election Commission still clings to their previous position. He also said that they would continue the strike until their demand was met.  

Dhaka University vice-chancellor M Akhtaruzzaman in the afternoon expressed  solidarity with the protesters at Raju sculpture.

The vice-chancellor demanded to reschedule the date to shield harmony among communities of the country.

Besides Akhtaruzzaman, Dhaka University Teachers Association, Dhaka University Central Student Union, different student organisations, and socio-cultural-political organisations’ expresses solidarity with the protesters.

On Wednesday, the protesters blocked the capital’s Shahbagh crossing after police barred their march towards the Election Commission.

Election Commission secretary M Alamgir on Wednesday said that the students are staging demonstration out of misunderstanding, as Saraswati Puja will be celebrated on January 29 while the voting to the DSCC and DNCC will be held on January 30.

On Thursday, a Supreme Court lawyer appealed to the Appellate Division against the High Court’s rejecting a petition seeking deferral of the elections to the Dhaka north and south cities from January 30.  

The Appellate Division’s chamber judge Justice Md Nuruzzaman will hear the appeal on Sunday.

 Awami League mayoral candidate for the Dhaka north city Atiqul Islam earlier urged the Election Commission to move the voting day from January 30 because of Saraswati Puja.

Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party mayoral candidate for the north city Tabith Awal said that fixing January 30 for the voting was an affront to the religious sentiment of the Hindu community.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net