SUCSU Poll Preserved After Protests Pressure SUST Authorities

Amid sustained student protests, the authorities of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) have decided to uphold the election of the university’s Central Students’ Union (SUCSU), scheduled for January 20. The announcement was made around 7:30 pm on Tuesday, January 13, through the university’s official Facebook page.

Earlier in the evening, SUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A M Sarwar Uddin Chowdhury met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin along with the full Election Commission at its headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka. The meeting focused on the Election Commission’s recent gazette suspending all elections ahead of the national polls and its implications for the already announced SUCSU election.

During the discussion, the SUST delegation, led by the vice-chancellor, informed the CEC about the ongoing student movement demanding that the SUCSU election be held as scheduled on January 20. Considering the prevailing situation on campus, CEC AMM Nasir Uddin assured the delegation that the SUCSU election could proceed on time. Officials indicated that the Election Commission’s restrictions on holding elections ahead of the national polls would not apply in this case.

In a Facebook post following the meeting, the university said that discussions were held with the CEC and the full commission regarding the unrest surrounding the SUCSU and hall union elections. According to the post, the CEC assured that the SUCSU election would be held on January 20 as planned. The meeting was attended by SUST Treasurer Professor Dr Md Ismail Hossain and the vice-chancellor’s personal secretary, Dr A F M Salauddin.

Despite the announcement, students had not withdrawn their protests as of 8:00 pm, stating that while the decision was shared on Facebook, no formal communication had been made directly to them. As a result, they said they were not fully reassured and continued their demonstrations.

Tensions had escalated on campus on Monday night (January 12) after news spread of the Election Commission’s gazette suspending all elections prior to the national polls. Student organisations, including Islami Chhatra Shibir and Chhatra Dal, along with general students, staged overnight protests demanding that the SUCSU election be held. The campus echoed with slogans, turning the situation volatile.

Campus sources said that to defuse the crisis, university authorities held prolonged closed-door discussions with protesting students throughout the night. After extensive talks, a consensus was reached early Tuesday morning among students, the SUCSU Election Commission, and the university administration. Under the agreement, the university authorities were given until 5:00 pm on Tuesday to consult with the Election Commission and clearly announce a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision on whether the SUCSU election would be held.

Following the vice-chancellor’s meeting with the CEC in Dhaka on Tuesday evening and the subsequent confirmation that the election would go ahead, the situation on campus eased somewhat.

DBTech/JBC/MUM/OR