Teachers and students of Dhaka University (DU) on Monday demanded rescheduling of Dhaka North and South city corporations’ polls on another date instead of January 30 as the Saraswati Puja will be observed on that day by the Hindu community across the country. DU teachers and students formed a human chain at the Raju Memorial Sculpture near Teachers-Students Centre (TSC) on the campus to press home their demand. Some teachers and about three hundred students were present there.
Speakers at the human chain said that the Saraswati Puja, which is especially celebrated by students in all the schools, colleges and universities, will be held on January 29 and January 30. The students in Dhaka would not be able to celebrate Saraswati Puja smoothly as the city corporations will use these educational institutions as polling centers during the election, so the election date should be changed, they said.
They said that it was a matter of sorrow that the Election Commission had set January 30 for holding two Dhaka city corporation elections and that the commission did not pay heed to demands of different social and religious organizations to change the date. Speaking at the programme, DU Senate member Prof Asim Sarkar said that Saraswati puja became a celebration. DU Jagannath hall hosts and observes one of the biggest celebrations on the occasion of the Puja. It is indeed sad that, election commission is set to hold the polls on the Dhaka city polls on that day.
we can’t observe two things on same day. arranging election on the day of the Puja will create various problems including those of security and the Hindu community’s worshipping of the goddess.” Moreover, On January 11, Dhaka University central student’s Union also demand rescheduling of city election dates.
Saraswati, the goddess of education, is worshipped in different educational institutions, clubs, and offices in Dhaka, turning those into festival grounds during Saraswati Puja. They placed two-point demand from the human chain including rescheduling of election dates and ensuring that it will not happen in future. According to the register, in this year Saraswati Puja is set to January 29 and 30.
