More express solidarity with hunger striker

Teachers and students continue visiting and expressing solidarity with DU student Walid Ashraf, who is on hunger strike demanding Dhaka University Central Students' Union election.

A group of students on Saturday evening lit candles on the Memory Eternal premises, where Walid is observing the strike, and chanted slogans demanding Ducsu polls.

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They also graffitied on the wall of Pro-VC's house, where DU Vice-chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman is now staying.

Prof MM Akash, of economics department at DU, visited Walid on Saturday evening and expressed solidarity with him.

"Teachers and registered graduates are enjoying democratic rights since the High Court directed the DU authorities to form a full-fledged senate within six months. But students are being deprived of the rights due to dysfunctional Ducsu."  He urged the authorities concerned to announce Ducsu polls schedule immediately. He also lit candles on the Memory Eternal premises to inaugurate a students' candle-lit vigil demanding the Ducsu polls.

Walid, a master's student of Social Welfare and Research Institute, went on the strike on November 25, demanding the Ducsu polls by December 16.

Prof Anwar Hossain, former Jahangirnagar University VC and former president of Dhaka University Teachers' Association, also expressed solidarity with Walid Saturday night. 

Talking to The Daily Star, he said, "The demand of Walid is the demand of Bangladesh as Ducsu played a pivotal role in shaping the history of our country."

"Our students restored democracy by ousting the autocratic government, but our politicians snatch students' rights away by taking advantage of the current democratic system."

He added that the VC should take initiatives to hold the Ducsu polls as the Dhaka University Order-1973 gave him the rights to exercise the power.

He also hoped that general students would join Walid. 

Contacted, DU VC Prof Akhtaruzzaman said everyone has the democratic rights to protest any issue. It is a matter of regret that the university authorities failed to hold the Ducsu polls in the last 27 years, he said. The last polls were held on June 6, 1990.