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Published : 06 Jan 2026, 01:12 PM
Police have taken the wife of a vice-president (VP) candidate in the Jagannath University Central Students’ Union (JnUCSU) election into custody following a dispute outside the campus gate.
The woman, Mahima Akter, is the wife of Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed candidate Riazul Islam. The incident took place at around 10:30am on Tuesday near the university’s main entrance as voting was under way.
Witnesses said Mahima, a former law student at the university, was standing outside the campus at the main gate, campaigning for Islami Chhatra Shibir. Several students then approached her, inquired about her identity and asked her to remove her face veil and mask. As tensions began to rise, police arrived and removed Mahima from the scene, later taking her to the police station.
“I was standing outside the university when Chhatra Dal activists came and harassed me. A relative was with me and we were standing outside the gate. Because I was wearing a hijab, they asked me to remove my hijab and mask,” said Mahima.
Riazul Islam, president of the university unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir and VP candidate from the "Odommo Jobian Oikyo" panel, said: “My wife is a student of the 14th batch of this university's Law Department. She was working outside the campus in support of our panel. From the morning, Chhatra Dal activists were pushing and shoving people outside the gate. Later, the situation returned to normal with police assistance.”
Accusing Chhatra Dal activists of creating a “mob”, Riazul said: “While she was outside the campus, Chhatra Dal leaders and activists created a mob. Such behaviour is in no way acceptable.”
Chhatra Dal Member Secretary Shamsul Arefin rejected the allegations of harassment.
said the matter had been resolved after authorities intervened.
The officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station also rejected allegations of harassment and said: "She was campaigning despite being a former student. After some teachers informed us, we brought her to the police station. She will be released after brief questioning.”
Students at Jagannath University are voting in the institution’s first central students’ union election since it became a university nearly 20 years ago.
Polling began at 9am at 39 centres with 178 booths across five buildings and is due to continue until 3pm.
More than 16,600 students are eligible to vote to elect representatives to 21 posts. A total of 157 candidates, including four panels and independents, are contesting the election, with the main competition expected to be between panels led by Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir.
