DU authorities refute post-election complaints from Ducsu candidates

Dhaka University authorities have issued a statement regarding applications and complaints filed by a section of candidates following the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) and hall union elections.

The clarification came yesterday (23 September) through a press release from the university's Public Relations Office.

Earlier, yesterday, Ducsu vice-president candidates Abidul Islam Khan, Abdul Kader, and Umama Fatema met university officials to raise concerns over alleged "irregularities" in the polls.

CCTV footage request
Several candidates requested full access to election-day CCTV footage. The university said CCTV records are not public documents but reserved evidence under university custody.

While the submitted petitions were vague and failed to specify which incidents or timeframes the applicants wanted reviewed, the authority said any candidate may formally request access to a specific relevant portion. In such cases, they will be allowed to view the footage under supervision at a designated venue, with experts or appointed officials present, said the authorities.

Voter signature lists
Applicants also demanded copies of the signed voter lists. The university rejected this request, calling the lists a "highly confidential and private document." It explained that the rules governing Ducsu elections do not permit handing over such lists, which contain sensitive data on thousands of students.

The authority emphasised that petitions failed to justify why or for what purpose the lists were necessary, and therefore the request could not be granted.

Ballot paper printing
Some raised questions about the printing of ballot papers. However, the DU authorities said the identity of the printing vendor was intentionally kept confidential, which is standard practice. 

A long-experienced firm, selected through a competitive tender, printed the ballots under strict supervision and machine readability checks, they added.

The university dismissed rumours that ballots were printed informally, saying such claims were baseless. Furthermore, no discrepancies were reported between distributed ballots and votes cast, and no polling agents, observers, or journalists lodged complaints during or immediately after the election.

Final review of complaints
The university confirmed that all applications and complaints have already been reviewed. Each applicant will receive an official response and decision in due time.