DUCSU election: DU administration meets student bodies

M Humayun Kabir: The Dhaka University administration has finally met with the Dhaka University Central Student Union (DUCSU), hall student councils and leaders from ‘active’ student groups over the issue of DUCSU polls.
The initiative was taken to hold the meeting after a case was filed last Thursday over ignoring the DUCSU elections, reports bdnews24.com.
A good number of representatives from the Chhatra League, Chhatra Dal and various other student organisations gathered at the university’s old Senate Hall at 11:30 am yesterday.
The students’ leaders who took part in the meeting include Central Chhatra League President Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon, General Secretary Golam Rabbani, Dhaka University unit President Sanjit Chandra Das and General Secretary Hossein Saddam, Central Chhatra Dal President Rajeeb Ahsan and Dhaka University unit General Secretary Bashar Siddique.
Representatives from the three largest leftist student organisations – Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation and Bangladesh Chhatra Front – also attended the meeting.
Dhaka University Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education) Prof Nasreen Ahmad, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) Muhammad Samad, Treasurer Prof Kamal Uddin, Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani attended the meeting led by its Vice Chancellor Akhtaruzzaman.
An assistant proctor told bdnews24.com that activists from 13 ‘active’ student organisations were invited to the event.
DUCSU was formed a year after Dhaka University was established in 1921.
Student leaders of DUCSU and Dhaka University were at the forefront of the Language Movement, the Education Movement, the 1969 coup, and the Independence Movement.
Since independence, Dhaka University students have also played a significant role in protests for democracy and against tyranny.
Though DUCSU elections are to be held every year, there have only been six since independence. The last election was held on June 6, 1990. Though efforts were made several times, no election has been organised since then.
On January 17 of this year, the High Court settled a six-year-old rule on the issue, ordering DUCSU elections to be held within six months.
As there was no visible progress on the issue after seven months, petitioners’ lawyer Manzil Morshed sent a legal notice to the Dhaka University administration on September 4.
Receiving no answer in this regard, the lawyer brought allegations of negligence against the university’s vice chancellor and administration to the High Court on Wednesday.