Students protesting against alleged rigging and other irregularities in the recent DUCSU polls have called off their hunger strike on “assurances by the Dhaka University administration that their demands will be met”.
Published : 16 Mar 2019, 01:12 AM
The protesters ended their strike by sipping water and Lachchhi on Friday midnight, Dhaka University Teachers’ Association President ASM Maksud Kamal told bdnews24.com.
Proctor Golam Rabbani, newly elected DUCSU Vice-President Nurul Haque Nur and General Secretary Golam Rabbani also went to the Raju Memorial Sculpture square on the campus where the protesters had been staging their hunger strike and requested them to end their demonstration.
The protesters at one stage responded to their repeated requests.
Their demands include fresh polls to Dhaka University Central Students’ Union and hall unions after resignation of all who oversaw the Mar 11 elections marred by allegations of intimidation and rigging.
“We have heard their complaints. We are thinking about how we will be able to hold more transparent elections,” Professor Kamal told bdnews24.com.
The authorities will sit with the protesters on Monday to hear their complaints in detail, according to Kamal.
“They ended their hunger strike after listening to us,” he said.
One of the strikers, Md Main Uddin of population science department, said they withdrew their strike after the authorities assured them of meeting their demands.
“We will resume hunger strike if our demands are not met,” he added.