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Published : 09 Sep 2025, 09:26 PM
Crowds have gathered at the entrances of Dhaka University as the counting of votes in the DUCSU election continues.
Police have barred outsiders from entering due to election restrictions, leaving crowds waiting outside.
Although their identities could not be confirmed, candidates backed by BNP’s Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Jamaat-e-Islami’s student front Islami Chhatra Shibir accused each other of mobilising party activists at the gates.
JCD’s vice-president candidate Abidul Islam Khan alleged that Jamaat activists had taken up positions at Nilkhet, Shahbagh and Chankharpul. On the other hand, Shibir panel’s general secretary candidate SM Farhad accused BNP and JCD men of guarding nine points around the campus.
Voting in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election took place from 8am to 4pm across 810 booths at eight centres. Throughout the day, the four panels traded allegations of breaching the code of conduct.
JCD also staged a protest at TSC, accusing the administration of stamping ballots for Shibir candidates in advance.
Police were on alert at the gates since morning, checking IDs before allowing anyone in. But after the vote ended, crowds began to swell at the entrances in the evening.
At first police tried to disperse them, but numbers continued to grow, and additional forces were deployed.
People were seen waiting behind barricades at Shahbagh, Nilkhet, and other gates. While they did not identify themselves, some said they were waiting for DUCSU poll results, while others said they came to join the victory rallies of their preferred candidates.
At a press briefing at Madhur Canteen, JCD’s VP candidate Abidul Islam Khan alleged that Jamaat activists were gathering in groups at Nilkhet, Shahbagh and Chankharpul.
“Free Dhaka University from such criminal actions,” he said. “We do not expect such combat-ready posturing in a post-uprising Bangladesh.”
Central JCD leaders later lodged three complaints with the DU administration, one of which mentioned the “extensive presence” of Jamaat-Shibir activists at all eight entrances.
JCD President Rakibul Islam said, “Since the afternoon, they have gathered in large numbers. This is not Jamaat-Shibir’s election, it is the university’s. Yet their presence makes it look like Jamaat’s election. The administration is so passive that it took no action. We condemn this and demand an explanation, as clashes could erupt at any time.”
In response, Vice-Chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan said he had been informed of gatherings at the gates after 4pm.
“We spoke to police and the home advisor and arranged for more forces. We are monitoring the situation constantly and will speak again with police if needed to ensure security,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shibir panel’s general secretary candidate SM Farhad countered that it was BNP and its organisations who were bringing in crowds.
He dismissed JCD’s claims as “drama”, saying: “They claimed our people were guarding the gates, but Shibir has no need for outsiders.”
“Instead, we saw BNP and Jubo Dal activists posted at nine points, taking selfies and waiting for their leader’s signal to enter.”
He also alleged that two BNP factions clashed at Nilkhet.
“Two trucks full of people came in through the gate. People are being brought from surrounding districts to create an atmosphere of fear,” he said.
Farhad argued that Dhaka University students fear no party’s threats.
Referring to the July Uprising, he reminded students of how Chhatra League tried to control the campus with outsiders.
Urging JCD not to repeat the same mistake, he said: “For 15 years you fought against ‘fascism’, along with us. Do not now become another Chhatra League. Do not bring outsiders to intimidate students on campus. Students are not scared, DU students will resist it.”
