Facebook Accounts of Candidates Go Offline on Eve of DUCSU Election

PNN News Desk | Dhaka:
On the day before the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election, several candidates’ Facebook accounts suddenly went offline. This incident has sparked outrage among panels supported by Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir.

On Monday afternoon, it was observed that the Facebook accounts of Chhatra Dal-supported VP candidate Abidul Islam Khan, GS candidate Sheikh Tanvir Bari Hamim, and AGS candidate Tanvir Al Hadir could not be found. Similarly, the account of VP candidate Abu Sadiq Kayem from the Shibir-supported United Student Alliance was also offline.

By around 2:30 PM, the account of GS candidate Tanvir Bari Hamim was restored. However, the accounts of the other candidates remained inactive.

During a press conference held at Madhur Canteen, Chhatra Dal-supported VP candidate Abidul Islam said, “We had already warned that various cyber-attacks could occur the day before the election. This morning, I woke up to find my account missing. I have appealed to Facebook authorities, but I don’t know if I will get my account back before the election.”

He added that his account had been briefly restored earlier in the morning, but was taken offline again shortly afterward.

The Shibir-supported panel also alleged that it was not only the VP candidate affected; their Research and Publication Secretary candidate Sajjad Hossain Khan and Sports Secretary candidate Arman Hossain’s Facebook accounts were also disabled in the same manner.

Chhatra Dal’s General Secretary Nasir Uddin stated in a message that this appears to be a planned cyberattack. He said, “No conspiracy can stop election campaigning by threatening or disabling accounts. If students stand with us, our candidates will continue their fight.”

Similarly, GS candidate SM Farhad of the United Student Alliance claimed, “Our candidates’ accounts are being continuously targeted in cyberattacks. Some accounts have been permanently disabled, while others frequently get logged out.”

Tomorrow, Tuesday, voting for the DUCSU and Hall Students’ Union elections will be held uninterrupted from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Sunday marked the final day of campaigning.