Returning officer blames admin for teacher's death during Jucsu vote counting, demands justice

Professor Sultana Akhtar, returning officer at Nawab Faizunnesa Hall centre of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union (Jucsu) and hall union polls, has blamed severe administrative mismanagement during the vote counting process for the death of Assistant Professor Jannatul Ferdous.

Speaking at an emergency press conference in front of the Jucsu election commission office this afternoon (12 September), the professor said, "The administration must take responsibility for the tragedy and ensure compensation for her family."

Condemning the incident as not only the administration's extreme mismanagement but also "gross irresponsibility", Prof Sultana said, "I cannot accept this death. We are grieving, we are angry. My colleague's death is the result of administrative failure. We demand justice."

Jannatul Ferdous, 31, assistant professor in the Department of Fine Arts, who was serving as the polling officer at Pritilata Hall, collapsed inside the counting room on the third floor of the university's Senate Building around 8:45am today.

Colleagues rushed her downstairs on a stretcher and immediately transported her by ambulance to Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar, where doctors declared her dead.

She also alleged that the administration had initially assured teachers that votes would be counted using OMR machines to save time and effort.

"However, at the last moment, on the night of the election day, the decision was abruptly changed to manual counting. This caused massive delays and put unbearable pressure on the teachers involved in the counting process," she added.

Teacher dies while carrying out duty as polling officer in Jucsu polls

Citing accounts from Pritilata Hall polling officers, Prof Sultana said Ferdous had been forced to hurry up several flights of stairs due to lack of proper arrangements. She hit the door and collapsed."

She questioned why the vote counting was not conducted at the halls themselves if manual counting was the plan all along. "Had it been done in the halls, the results could have been declared by 10pm, and this death could have been avoided," she said.

She further claimed that several other teachers, including returning officer Kazi Mohammad Mohsin of the Fine Arts Department, fell ill due to the excessive workload.

Delay in vote counting: What Jucsu election commission says

Calling for reforms in the election process, she stressed that manual vote counting in large-scale elections like Jucsu is "inhuman and ineffective."

"Manual vote counting in large-scale elections like Jucsu is inhuman and ineffective. In the hall union, voting took place through a single ballot paper, but in the central union, there were three ballots. This means if 8,000 votes are cast, then 24,000 will have to be counted manually. So, it's not possible to finish counting even within three days," she said.

Colleagues break down in tears

The death has cast a pall of grief over the counting centre, where many fellow polling officers broke down in tears.

"She was very hardworking and humble. It's impossible to accept such a sudden death," said one of her colleagues.

Addressing polling officers over the microphone, Election Commissioner Rezwana Karim Snigdha said, "In this tragic moment, I request everyone to pray for her. We are in deep mourning, but the work must be completed."

JU Proctor and Jucsu Election Commission Member Secretary AKM Rashidul Alam said, "Everyone was exhausted last night, so the counting could not be completed. Jannatul came in this morning with other polling officers to continue the work.

"She suddenly collapsed at the door. Her death has deeply shocked us all."