DU students again block Shahbagh

A group of Dhaka University students again blocked the Shahbagh intersection in the city on Wednesday demanding deferment of the polls to the two Dhaka city corporations billed for January 30.

The students, mostly inmates of DU residential halls, statged a demonstration in front of Raju Memorial Sculpture around 12.00pm.  

Later around 2.00pm, blocking the busy intersection again, students protested against the EC’s decision to hold the city polls on January 30 when Saraswati Puja, one of the major religious festivals of the Hindu community, will be celebrated.

On Tuesday eveing, blocking the Shahbagh intersection, protesting students announced to lay a siege to the Election Commission office on Wednesday if their demand to defer the polls to the two Dhaka city corporations is not met.
On Tuesday, the High Court turned down a writ petition seeking its directive to defer the elections.

The court passed the order considering the progress in the election process and the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations scheduled to begin on February 2.

On January 6, Advocate Ashoke Kumar Ghosh, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the writ seeking its directive to defer the polls as Saraswati Puja will be celebrated across the country on the day.

On December 22 last, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda announced the election schedule for the polls to DNCC and DSCC fixing January 30 as the voting date.

Dhaka/Yeamin/Mukul