Voting at a female dormitory of Jahangirnagar University was suspended for hours on Thursday after complaints that indelible ink applied to voters’ fingers was easily removable, prompting chaos and allegations of misconduct.
The incident occurred around 12:30pm at Hall No. 15, where polling officials halted voting until new ink could be supplied, said Hall Provost Shamima Parvin Jolly.
‘Voting was suspended for a very short-lasting ink mark. But some students forcefully entered the centre, which is a violation of the code of conduct,’ she told reporters.
She added that female students had already shown limited interest in voting, and such disruptions could further affect turnout.
Later, voting activities resumed at about 2:00pm after the election commission provided an ‘election-grade’ marker.
Students alleged that Sheikh Sadi Hasan, the BNP-backed vice-president candidate, entered the polling centre with supporters and sparked commotion by alleging fraud.
Members of his panel denied wrongdoing and claimed they were exposing irregularities.
Farha Binte Jigar Farina, a candidate from the Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad-backed Shikkharthi Oikya Forum, said the BNP-allied panel made ‘baseless claims’ of rigging.
Polling in the university’s central students’ union and hall elections began at 9:00pm across 224 booths in 21 halls, with 11,919 students eligible to vote. Balloting is scheduled to continue until 5:00pm.