Two platforms of leftist student organisations -- the Pragatishil Chhatra Jote and Samrajyabadbirodhi Chhatra Oikya -- laid a siege to the Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor's office on Monday press for a six-point demand related to the upcoming students' union elections.
Their demands include setting up of the polling centers outside residential halls in the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) and Hall Union elections.
The demonstrators also brought out a procession from the Madhur Canteen that marched through the campus before arriving at the Vice Chancellor's office around 1:00 pm.
Addressing a rally in front of the VC office, Pragatishil Chhatra Jote coordinator Iqbal Kabir, also president of Revolutionary Student Unity, said: "The ruling party's student organisation has a control over the residential halls and if polling centers are set up at the halls, they will surely influence the elections."
Though most of the student organisations from the very beginning demanded setting up polling stations outside the halls, the university administration ignored it, he said.
Kabir called upon the university administration to immediately take a decision for setting up polling centers outside the halls.
The demonstrators demanded scrapping the age limit restriction on voters and candidates in the DUCSU elections and estending these privileges to all 'those who pay DUCSU fees'.
Their other demands were allowing campaign in classrooms, ending violence in halls and ensuring that legitimate students receive the seats based on merit.
Meanwhile, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), student wing of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on Monday again took position at the Madhur Canteen.
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