Let the students decide
DU alumni rally for referendum on Ducsu polling centres
Amid the ongoing debate over setting up of polling centres of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) election, a platform of former DU students yesterday proposed to hold a referendum to resolve the issue.
Dhaka University Shikkahrthi Adhikar Mancha held a press conference at Madhur Canteen on the campus in this regard. Moudud Mishto, the platform's convener, raised the proposal and placed three other demands at the press conference.
The platform had waged a movement demanding Ducsu polls in 2012, and in March that year, 25 students filed a writ petition with the High Court through Advocate Manzill Murshid, seeking its directives on the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to hold the election.
Based on the writ petition, the HC on January 17 last year directed the authorities concerned and the government to hold the election in six months.
The Ducsu polls will be held on March 11.
“We've held a series of programmes to revive the long-pending issue. Before filing the petition in 2012, we had served a legal notice on the university authorities but they did not respond,” said Mishto while reading out a statement.
“When the petition was filed, the administration did not respond to it either, citing a lack of atmosphere,” he added.
The former DU students also demanded to bring balance between distribution of power among the union's president, vice-president and general secretary. They also demanded that the Ducsu president should be elected from students.
“It is being said that Ducsu is a student organisation, but the vice-chancellor has all the power,” he said.
The platform also expressed concerns over the election being fair. They said students' excitement will turn into frustration if a fair and conclusive election is not held.
Of the 25 former students, Nur Bahadur Toaha Faruk, Sadman Sakib and Kazi Taufiq Imam were present.
Since the formal dissolution of Ducsu in 1998, several attempts have been made to arrange the election but all in vain. The last polls to Ducsu and hall unions took place in 1990.