Cops foil students’ EC march, Shahbagh blockaded yet again

After failing to march towards the Election Commission (EC) office, a group of Dhaka University students yesterday blockaded the Shahbagh intersection for the second consecutive day, demanding deferment of Dhaka north and south city corporation elections scheduled for January 30 -- as it coincides with Saraswati Puja.

Holding placards, they gathered in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture on DU campus around 11am, shouted slogans and held a brief rally there.

While speaking at the rally, spokesperson of the protest Utpal Biswas condemned the remarks made by Election Commission Senior Secretary Md Alamgir about holding polls on the day of puja.

Expressing solidarity, Assistant General Secretary of Dhaka University Central Students’ Association Saddam Hussain threatened the authorities concerned to resist the polls if it is held on the day of Saraswati puja.

Later, agitating students began a march towards the Election Commission office in Agargaon, before they were stopped by police at Shahbagh.

Students then blocked Shahbagh intersection at 1:50pm and kept it blocked till 3pm to press home their demand.

The agitators announced to stage sit-in in front of Raju Memorial Sculpture today and urged students of all the educational institutes of Dhaka to hold protest programmes. 

On Wednesday, students had given an 18-hour ultimatum to the authorities concerned and threatened to  besiege the Election Office in Agargaon today if their demand was not met within the deadline.

The protests came after the High Court on Tuesday rejected a writ petition filed for shifting the date of two Dhaka city elections.

On December 22, the Election Commission announced that elections to the two Dhaka city corporations will be held on January 30. Earlier, the education ministry on December 2 fixed January 29 as a public holiday for Saraswati Puja.

Ducsu vice-president Nurul Haque Nur, who went to his office yesterday, 24 days after an attack on him and his followers, alleged that the election date was set on the day of Puja intentionally to create chaos. The polls cannot be held on the day of Puja in non-communal Bangladesh, he said.

NO SCOPE TO CHANGE DATE’

Meanwhile, Election Commission Secretary Md Alamgir yesterday said students are “protesting without understanding”, and there is no scope to change the polls date.

“January 30 is a suitable time for holding the elections. There is no scope to bring the date forward or defer it. Many are protesting without understanding as they are young. They will understand in some days that it’s unwise to protest,” said the election commission secretary in response to a question while talking to journalists at the EC office.

MOB BEATS UP MAN BRANDISHING FIREARM

Law enforcers yesterday detained a man with a firearm, after he was beaten up by protesting DU students, following an altercation in Shahbagh area.

Alif Rusdi Hasan Moon (45) was taken to Shahbagh Police Station and subsequently sent to a hospital for treatment, said police.

The incident took place when around 500 DU students were protesting, blockading the Shahbagh intersection.

“During the blockade, one man driving a black car came out of the vehicle and demanded that his car be allowed to pass through. As we refused, he pulled out a pistol and aimed it at a student’s chest, which enraged students and they started beating him,” said Kanjilal Toy, cultural affairs secretary of Jagannath Hall union.

Later, police intervened and rescued the man, and recovered a licensed shotgun from his car aside from the pistol, said Deputy Commissioner HM Azimul Haque of the DMP Ramna Division. He said they would investigate the issue. 

Officer-in-Charge of Shahbagh Police Station Abul Hasan told The Daily Star, “The man’s pregnant wife was in the car at that time, and they were going to attend a family programme.” Later, police took the car to Shahbagh Police Station.