The Dhaka University (DU) student, who had been on a hunger strike demanding long overdue election to Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu), called off his strike yesterday after the authorities assured him of holding the polls soon.   

As the strike rolls into the fifteenth day yesterday, DU Vice Chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman visited Walid Ashraf around 12:30pm at the Memory Eternal premises on the campus, where he had been living in a tent since November 25. The VC fed him a banana and water to break his fast with assurance that he [VC] would take initiatives to hold the Ducsu polls soon.  

“I know the Ducsu polls have not taken place in the last 27 years, but we will take necessary steps to hold the election as soon as possible,” the VC assured the student.

Though he called off his strike, Walid declared that he would continue his movement by taking part in different activities on the campus demanding the Ducsu polls.

“I have called off my strike as the vice chancellor of the university assured me. We, who want Ducsu polls, will take position at the same venue (Memory Eternal) until the demand is met,” said Walid.

Meanwhile, a group of DU students who earlier expressed solidarity with Walid's cause, staged a protest rally yesterday at the Memory Eternal premises demanding immediate announcement of Ducsu election manifesto.

Both current and former students, former Ducsu leaders joined the rally and demanded Ducsu polls. They said the students are being deprived of their democratic rights due to the dysfunctional Ducsu.

“The authorities had assured us several times of holding Ducsu polls but did not take any visible steps,” said Masud Mahdi, coordinator of the movement that has been demanding the polls for long.

Speakers at the rally threatened to wage a tougher movement if the authorities fail to announce the Ducsu election manifesto by January 10.

On December 6, Walid, a student of Social Welfare and Research Institute of DU, was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as his health condition had deteriorated. He was injected with saline at the DMCH; but he returned to Memory Eternal premises immediately afterwards and declared to continue his strike despite falling ill. He did not take any food except for water since November 25.

Since the first day, different student organisations and DU teachers expressed solidarity with Walid's movement, but no fruitful initiative was taken by the authorities until yesterday.

So far, all the student organisations had expressed support for Walid except for Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).

The last election to Ducsu, representative body of the students, was held on June 6, 1990.