Within hours after calling off protests demanding a re-election to Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU), vice president-elect Nurul Haque Nur has backtracked and now demands for fresh votes by Mar 31.

His statement comes after the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) congratulated him after withdrawing its own protests rejecting the polls result.


BCL President Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon went to the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) and greeted Nur around 4 pm Tuesday in a bid to de-escalate tensions on the campus following Monday’s elections.
Shovon, who was also a vice-president aspirant, also called on all students to accept the result of the election for the sake of peaceful environment on the campus.
Responding to the BCL leader’s call, Nur withdrew the class boycotting programme to press their demand for a re-election.
His latest announced followed a meeting at the TSC with the leaders of the Leftists’ coalition, who floated their own panel on candidates in the election.
“All student bodies, except for the BCL, boycotted Monday’s election … they could not stop us despite rigging. But since several panels took part in the polls, we express our solidarity with their demands. There has to be a re-election and officials of the polls held on Monday have to step down,” he told the media after meeting with Leftist student leaders.
He demanded the elections to be held by Mar 31 in line with a previous High Court order.
One of the organisers of quota reform protests, Nur was the biggest shock in DUCSU history by winning the vice-president or VP post in Monday’s elections.
BCL’s Golam Rabbani has won the post of DUCSU general secretary or GS and Saddam Hussain assistant general secretary or AGS.
BCL won 23 other posts out of a maximum 25 in DUCSU but lost the social services secretary post to Akhtar Hossain of Nur’s panel.
The ruling Awami League’s student affiliate won most VP, GS and AGS posts in 18 hall unions, but independent candidates dominated the halls for female students.
The DUCSU elections held after 28 years on Monday were marred by boycott of most candidates on allegations of rigging and other irregularities. Soon after the polls closed, all student bodies, except for BCL boycotted the election.
The BCL, however, started its own agitations after the Nur was announced elected as the VP.
Its activist protested until Tuesday afternoon in front of the VC’s residence, but withdrew after BCL president Shovon called to accept the results for the sake of peaceful environment.
After BCL called off its agitation, Shovon went to the TSC to congratulate Nur in an effort to ease tensions on campus following the election.
Speaking to the media barely two hours later, Nur, however, described the BCL’s move as a ploy.
“The ruling class pulls us to them whenever it’s convenient for them but also pounds us when they think us enemies,” he said.
Claiming that BCL leaders attacked him at Ruqayyah Hall on polls day, he said, “They had assaulted me on Jun 30 as well as attacked me today when I came to the TSC. It’s tough to have faith on them.”