Former Dhaka University Central Students’ Union leaders on Wednesday expressed grave concerns about the university’s decision to deploy the army during the DUCSU elections scheduled for September 9.
Speaking to ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·, they said that the current campus situation had not deteriorated to such an extent that military deployment was necessary.
Instead, the announcement unnecessarily created ‘a sense of fear’ while undermining the dignity of both the university and the army, they said.
At a views-exchange meeting with candidates for the posts of vice-president, general secretary, and assistant general secretary on Tuesday, the returning officers of the DUCSU elections announced that army personnel would be deployed as a ‘striking force’ at the university’s main entrances on the election day.
Mahmudur Rahman Manna, who served as the DUCSU vice-president for the 1979–80 and 1980–81 terms, expressed his surprise at the DU authorities’ decision to deploy army personnel in the 2025 elections.
Manna is now the president of the Nagarik Oikya.
He said that the security situation remained tolerable and the campus was in a festive mood.
He added that previous university authorities did not call in the army, even when the campus went severely violent during the DUCSU elections in the 1980s.
He said that the deployment of army personnel would have a negative impact in the future.
‘This university is one of Asia’s renowned educational institutions. The global audience will see that the Bangladesh government fails to ensure poll-time security by regular law enforcement at a university where most educated voters reside. It will also project a negative image ahead of the upcoming general election,’ Manna said.
Nurul Haque Nur, the last elected DUCSU vice-president for the 2019–20 term, also opposed the deployment. Nur is now the president of the Gono Odhikar Parishad.
He said that the deployment of the military would send a ‘dangerous’ message.
Nur said that Dhaka University students had risked their lives to raise public support for the July uprising, and now the army was being deployed for their democratic election, where such a measure was not even necessary.
‘The history of the Dhaka University student movement holds an important chapter of struggle against military rule. By deciding to deploy the army in the DUCSU elections, the very political history of the university has been insulted,’ he said.
Mujahidul Islam Selim, the DUCSU vice-president in the 1972–73 term, said that the decision to deploy the army was ‘completely’ related to Dhaka University’s internal security.
‘But, this is disappointing. Although this will be the first time, past experiences during military ruler HM Ershad and the recently ousted Awami League regime suggest that army deployment served the interests of a particular vested group. I would urge general students to cast their votes fearlessly,’ Selim, a former president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said.
Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal–Jasod presidium member Mushtuq Husain, the DUCSU general secretary for the 1989–90 term, also opposed the decision.
He observed that the decision should have come after discussion with student organisations, but the university authorities did not do that.
‘The army already has magistracy power. If the campus security situation worsens, they can be called temporarily. But their deployment, even at the university entrances, will undermine the dignity of both DU students and the army,’ he said.
The DUCSU vice-president for the 1990–91 term, Amanullah Aman, and the DUCSU general secretary for the term, Khairul Kabir Khokon, could not be reached for comments as they did not respond to phone calls or text messages.