VP Nur says he will be in protests for fresh DUCSU polls after attack-greetings drama

An hour after softening his tone on protests in a meeting with the Bangladesh Chhatra League president, newly elected DUCSU VP Nurul Haq Nur has expressed solidarity with demonstrators who are pushing for fresh polls.

After a meeting with a panel of leftist students following an eventful day on Tuesday, Nur also spoke of his desire to take oath as VP after winning Monday’s elections in a stunning upset.

All the panels except BCL boycotted the elections before the end of voting marred by alleged rigging and irregularities, he said. “I am raising the same demand today. The elections must be cancelled and rescheduled. A new date must be announced before Mar 31.”

Bangladesh Students’ Union leader Liton Nandi, who also ran for the DUCSU VP, announced that they will submit a memorandum with the demand to Vice-Chancellor Md Akhtaruzzaman on Wednesday. 

The protesters will gather at the Raju Sculpture at noon and go to the VC’s office in a procession to submit the memorandum, he said.

They will also issue an ultimatum of three days to meet their demand, according to Liton.

“The Mar 11 election is an ignominious chapter in Dhaka University’s history. We, the five panels, have rejected the election with disdain. We reiterate our demand for fresh elections to all the posts, not any partial election. And all those involved with the elections must resign,” he said. 

“I will be in the general students’ movement as the DUCSU VP,” Nur said.

Besides his Bangladesh Council to Protect General Students’ Rights, representatives of Progressive Students’ Alliance, Anti-imperialist Students’ Unity, Independent Alliance, Swadhikar Swatantra Parishad and Chhatra Federation, who fielded candidates in the elections, were present.

Earlier in the day, Nur and other members of his group came under attack after a procession celebrating his victory on the campus.

When they started demonstrating inside the Teacher-Student Centre blaming BCL for the attack, his defeated rival BCL President Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon went there and greeted him in a bid to de-escalate tension on the campus.

Shovon urged his disgruntled supporters to put aside their grievances and work together with Nur.

“A VP has been elected even though it wasn’t me. The VP doesn’t belong to any one person or organisation; he represents all students. From now on, Nur will tend to all our needs. He must be responsible but you [Chhatra League] must also help him,” he said.

“We want the student organisations in the university to work hand in hand," Nur said. "We will build an education-friendly campus with the cooperation of students and teachers. We need everyone's help,” the new VP added.

But later after the meeting with the students demonstrating for fresh polls, he expressed his doubts about the BCL’s sincerity in welcoming him to the campus.

“Their (BCL’s) words are sweet as honey but there's poison in their heart. It’s tough to trust them,” he said.

The rulers hug us whenever they need us, whenever it suits them. But when they consider us enemies, they beat us up,” the DUCSU VP added.

FOUR STUDENTS ON HUNGER STRIKE

Four students started a hunger strike at the altar of the Raju Sculpture in the evening demanding fresh DUCSU polls after the resignation of all involved in the polls.

The strikers are Anindya Mandal of philosophy department, Shoyeb Mahmud of physics department, Main Uddin of population science department and Tawhid Nizam of computer and engineering department.

They threatened to continue the hunger strike until death if their demands were not met.

Anindya and Shoyeb contested the DUCSU elections as candidates of the Progressive Students’ Alliance while Tawhid from the panel of independents.