‘BCL activists hinder voting by making queue longer’

Voters in Dhaka University Central Students Union (Ducsu) election alleged that BCL activists created a long queue artificially to hinder the voting.

Students at Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall of Dhaka University alleged that they could not cast their votes despite waiting for over two hours at Shahidullah Hall as Bangladesh Chhatra League were controlling the queue.

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After casting votes, BCL men were returning to the voters’ line to discourage the voters as the longer queue slowed the voting process, reports our staff correspondent from the spot.

Voters in Dhaka University Central Students Union (Ducsu) election stand in long queue to cast their votes on March 11, 2019. Photo: Star/ Palash Khan

There were around 400-500 people standing in the queue among whom many thought to be BCL activists who have either already cast their votes or are joining in the line from other areas just to make the wait to cast votes longer and slow the voting process, many general students claimed.

A voter named, Pranto, told The Daily Star that he was able to cast his vote at 10:15am after standing in the queue for almost four hours.

Voters in Dhaka University Central Students Union (Ducsu) election stand in a long queue in front of Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall to cast their votes on March 11, 2019. Photo: Star/ Prabir Das

Our staff correspondent from the spot said general students were complaining that genuine voters could not go forward as “BCL men were controlling the queue”.

Meanwhile, senior leaders of BCL were seen gathering before the entrance of Salimullah Muslim Hall and checking students’ ID cards around 11:00am.

The leaders were allegedly barring non-resident students waiting in queue from casting their votes, our DU correspondent reports.

Multiple non-residenti students claimed that the BCL leaders were checking voters’ student-ID cards and sending the non-residential students to stand at the back from the front of the line.

One of the students also claimed that he was waiting at the hall gate since 6:30am to cast his vote but BCL men did not let him enter till 11:00am.

At Sufia Kamal Hall, the queue for casting votes extended till 'Shikkha Bhaban' and had not moved an inch for the last one hour, reports our photojournalist from the spot.