A group of Dhaka University students went on a hunger strike on the campus demanding deferral of Dhaka City polls slated for Jan 30, coinciding with the Hindu festival of Saraswati Puja.
Around 50 students led by the university’s Jagannath Hall Students’ Union Vice President Utpal Das were demonstrating at Raju Memorial on Thursday (Jan 16) to press the demand.
The agitated students have also carried placards with slogans – ‘No polls on Puja day’, ‘No polls on Jan 30’, ‘No discrimination in the glorious Bangla’ etc.
“Scheduling Dhaka City polls on Saraswati Puja day is a sign of discrimination,” Utapal said while addressing the demonstration.
Coming down heavily on Election Commission (EC) Secretary, Utpal, “You [EC] said that Puja is on Jan 29. I like to inform you, the main ritual will be observed on Jan 30.”
Claiming the senior EC official has no conscience, Utpal said, “If the polls aren't rescheduled, we will deduce that there's no religious freedom in the country and Bangladesh is a communal state.”
Leaders of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) and the ruling party’s student front Bangladesh Chhatra League also expressed solidarity with the protests.
On Wednesday (Jan 15), police foiled a march of a group of Dhaka University students towards the Election Commission (EC) demanding deferment of the polls to the Dhaka city corporations.