DU students embark on hunger strike demanding city polls deferment

A group of students of Dhaka University went on hunger strike on Thursday afternoon demanding deferment of the polls to the two Dhaka city corporations slated for January 30.

The students gathered in front of Raju Sculpture carrying placards and started hunger strike at 2:10pm led by Jagannath hall Chhatra Sangsad Vice-President Utpal Biswas and General Secretary Kajal Das.

On Wednesday, police obstructed a group of Dhaka University students when they tried to march towards the Election Commission (EC) which announced the date of the elections on December 22, reports UNB.

On Tuesday, the students started to protest blocking Shahbagh intersection around 5pm after 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 take place 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, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Hindu community, will be celebrated across the country on the day.

Ghosh moved the Appellate Division on Thursday challenging the High Court order.