35 years without Cucsu: CU still silent as 3 univs announce student union polls

While three autonomous universities – Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Jahangirnagar – have recently announced schedules for their long-stalled central student union elections, Chittagong University, where the last such election was held back in 1990, remains silent on the matter.

Over the years, the issue of holding elections for the Chittagong University Central Students' Union (Cucsu) has surfaced repeatedly, but each time it was met only with verbal assurances from the university administration.

The demand gained renewed momentum after the July Uprising last year, sparking widespread interest and enthusiasm among students and teachers alike.

While election dates have been declared for Ducsu, Rucsu, and Jucsu on 9, 11, and 15 September respectively, students at Chittagong University are still left wondering – when will Cucsu elections be held?

CU authorities say they plan to finalise the policy for holding Cucsu elections at the Syndicate meeting tomorrow. However, student organisations remain sceptical about any concrete outcome and have warned of protests if a clear election date is not announced.

CU teachers and students say central student unions play a crucial role in nurturing student leadership, voicing student concerns to the administration, and enhancing the overall academic environment. But the 35-year gap has rendered the union completely dysfunctional on the CU campus.

The absence of Cucsu has also crippled the hall-based student councils. Although the university ordinance mandates five student representatives in the university's Senate – its highest policymaking body – no such representation has existed for over three decades due to the lack of Cucsu elections, they add.

Despite several rounds of discussions with student organisations since the new administration took office, the university has yet to announce any roadmap or timeline for holding the election.

On 30 July, students formed a human chain in front of the administrative building, demanding immediate announcement of the Cucsu election schedule. Their message was clear – "We don't want a roadmap – we want a schedule."

During the demonstration, Khan Talat Mahmud Rafi, central joint convener of Bangladesh Democratic Student Council, the student wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP), and a student of CU's Department of Drama and Dramatics, warned the administration of student backlash if the Cucsu election schedule is not announced promptly.

"If the Cucsu election schedule is not declared immediately after the 1 August Syndicate meeting, you will witness a massive student protest," he said. "You won't be able to sit in the administrative building. Students will drag you down from your seats."

Abdullah Al Noman, general secretary of the CU unit of Chhatra Dal, told TBS, "We want Cucsu elections, as this has long been a demand of the student community. But action must be taken against those teachers, officials, and staff of the university who ordered or participated in attacks on students before 5 August."

He added, "The university administration is still not fully neutral. We want a fair and acceptable decision through discussions with all active student organisations. We demand Cucsu elections under a neutral election commission."

"But if the administration tries to hold the election through partisan individuals with the intent of fulfilling a specific group's agenda, we, from Chhatra Dal, will not accept it," Noman warned.

Mohammad Parvez, secretary of the CU unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir, said, "We have long been demanding Cucsu elections. The administration has informed us that the policy will be finalised in the upcoming Syndicate meeting, after which the election schedule will be announced soon."

"As elections have already been scheduled at three other public universities, we also want the CUCSU polls to be held by mid-September," he added. "Our next steps depend on whether the schedule is announced. If the administration fails to do so, we will return to the streets."

Student leaders say that since the recent mass uprising on 5 August, Chittagong University has seen the most intense student mobilisation in the country, demanding student union elections.

On 17 February, student organisations and the administration held discussions regarding reforms to the Cucsu constitution, with the administration promising to provide a draft within 10 working days. In reality, the draft was delivered on 20 May – highlighting the administration's procrastination, they argue.

Sajjad Hossain, spokesperson for the university's Samomona Club Platform, said, "Even if the constitution is approved in the Syndicate meeting, it may take another 10 to 12 days for the election schedule to be announced. This has raised concerns that CU may end up holding Cucsu elections later than the other universities."

Dhrubo Barua, president of the Democratic Student Council, CU, accused the administration of favouring certain groups, saying, "We believe the Cucsu constitution must be designed to ensure participation from all student organisations, clubs, and representative stakeholders of the student body."

CU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Md Kamal Uddin said, "CU's Syndicate meeting will be held on 1 August, where the election policy for Cucsu will be finalised. Once that is done, we will announce the election schedule at the earliest possible time."

Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Yahya Akhter echoed the commitment, saying, "Students want Cucsu elections, and so do we. In fact, during our very first meeting after taking office, students raised the demand. We have agreed with them in principle. The matter is under process."

Since the university's establishment in 1966, Cucsu elections have been held only six times. The first student union election was held in 1970, and the last took place in February 1990. Later that year, on 22 December, a student leader named Farukuzzaman was killed. Following his death, the university administration suspended all Cucsu activities.