Tensions flared at Rajshahi University on Sunday morning as activists of the university unit of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) locked the office of the university treasurer and vandalised furniture, demanding voting rights for first-year students in the upcoming Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) election.
According to witnesses, JCD leaders and activists besieged the treasurer’s office around 9:30 am. By 10 am, they broke into the office, damaging tables and chairs set up for nomination paper distribution.
Witnesses said nearly a hundred activists gathered outside while senior leaders were present inside.
Expressing solidarity with the JCD protest, several members of the central committee of the University Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh (UTAB) and some faculty members from Rajshahi University also joined the demonstration.
Treasurer Setaur Rahman told reporters, “They locked the office from the outside, and I cannot enter. There are proper ways to press demands, but this is not one of them.”
Meanwhile, JCD’s Rajshahi University president, Sultan Ahmed Rahi, said: From the beginning, the administration refused to ensure voting rights for first-year students. We have repeatedly demanded it, but they ignored us. That’s why we have laid siege to the treasurer’s office. The movement will continue until our demands are met.
The RUCSU election schedule was announced on July 28. Under the revised schedule– amended for the fourth time– Sunday was the last day for collecting nomination forms, which must be obtained from the treasurer’s office.
The election is set for September 25, with voting scheduled from 9 am to 4 pm across all academic buildings. Results will be declared on the same day.
