At around 1:15pm, the general students succeeded in breaking the lock and entering the treasurer’s office

Tensions at Rajshahi University (RU) escalated this morning (31 August) when a group of general students broke the lock on the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (Rucsu) treasurer’s office and entered, following a lockdown by the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) over demands for a revised voter list.

Around 10:30am today, JCD’s university unit padlocked the office of the treasurer, who is the chief returning officer in the upcoming student elections, halting the collection of nomination papers and vandalising furniture.

The activists of BNP’s student wing, led by its president Sultan Ahmed Rahi, demanded that the 5,000 first-year students from the 2024-25 academic session be included in the voter list, warning they would not participate in the election otherwise.

According to RU Treasurer and Rucsu Chief Returning Officer Professor Setaur Rahman, while first-year students could be included, it would require a new election schedule.

“Unfortunately, Chhatra Dal is leaning towards mob violence instead of democratic discussion. We prefer to resolve the issue through negotiation,” he added.

The tension further escalated when Salauddin Ammar, a former coordinator of Students Against Discrimination (SAD) platform, who came to collect his nomination papers but was blocked by JCD activists, sparking a heated argument between the two groups.

The conflict then intensified at around 12:30pm when members of SAD, Chhatra Adhikar Parishad, Islami Chhatra Shibir, and other general students attempted to forcefully open the padlock to resume the electoral process.

This led to repeated scuffles at the office gate, with all parties remaining face-to-face and chanting slogans to assert control.

At around 1:15pm, the general students succeeded in breaking the lock and entering the treasurer’s office.

However, JCD members remained at the gate, continuing their protest.

Appearing at the scene, RU Proctor Prof Mahbubur Rahman said, “We are trying to appease both sides, but neither is backing down. They should resolve the matter through dialogue.”