Crowds have formed at the entrances of Dhaka University during the ongoing counting of votes for the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election.
Law enforcement agencies have barred outsiders from entering the campus due to electoral restrictions, leaving many gathered outside the gates.
Although the identities of those waiting at the entrances could not be independently confirmed, rival candidates from BNP-backed Chhatra Dal and Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Chhatra Shibir panels accused each other of mobilizing their party activists in the area.
Chhatra Dal’s vice-president candidate Abidul Islam Khan alleged that Jamaat supporters had gathered in groups around Nilkhet, Shahbagh, and Chankharpul. In contrast, Shibir panel’s general secretary candidate SM Farhad accused BNP’s student and youth wings of guarding nine key entry points around the university.
Voting took place uninterrupted on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. across 810 booths at eight centers on campus. Throughout the day, the four contesting panels traded accusations of violating the electoral code of conduct. Shibir-backed candidates also faced allegations of pre-marked ballots, prompting Chhatra Dal to stage a protest at TSC. Later in the evening, Chhatra Dal supporters demonstrated near Dhaka University Club, accusing the administration of stuffing empty ballot boxes.
Security was visibly tightened around the campus. Police checked IDs at entrances throughout the day, and as crowds swelled after polls closed, additional forces were deployed. Many of those waiting at the gates told reporters they were there either to hear the results or to join victory processions for their preferred candidates.
Shahbagh Police Station OC Md. Khalid Monsur described the DUCSU polls as “iconic,” noting strong public interest but assuring that police remained alert to any possible unrest.
At a press conference in Madhur Canteen in the evening, Chhatra Dal candidate Abidul Islam Khan accused Jamaat activists of occupying university entrances in a “militant posture.” He urged the administration to free the campus from such gatherings, saying, “This warlike stance has no place in post-uprising Bangladesh.”
BNP leaders also submitted complaints to the university administration, alleging a strong Jamaat-Shibir presence at all eight gates. Chhatra Dal president Rakibul Islam criticized the authorities for failing to act, warning that clashes could erupt at any time.
Vice-Chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan acknowledged receiving reports of crowds forming at the gates after 4 p.m. and said steps had been taken in consultation with police and the Home Affairs adviser to increase security.
On the other hand, Shibir’s GS candidate SM Farhad dismissed Chhatra Dal’s allegations as “theater,” claiming instead that BNP and its affiliates had gathered at nine points around the campus. He alleged that BNP activists had arrived in trucks from nearby districts, creating a “climate of fear,” and even clashed among themselves at Nilkhet.
Farhad warned Chhatra Dal not to replicate the ruling party’s past tactics of bringing in outsiders to dominate the campus. “Students of Dhaka University do not fear threats,” he said. “If needed, they will resist these attempts just as they resisted Chhatra League during the July movement.”
