‘Unity in Diversity’ panel protests alleged code of conduct violations in CUCSU election

 PNN news desk | Chittagong :

Ahead of the Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) election, the left-leaning “Unity in Diversity” panel has alleged that candidates of the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed “Harmony Student Alliance” have violated the election code of conduct.

On Saturday at around 11:30 a.m., Unity in Diversity panel’s VP candidate Dhrubo Barua, GS candidate Sudarshan Chakma, and AGS candidate Jakirul Islam Jashim submitted a written complaint to the Election Commission office at the CUCSU building.

According to the complaint, Jihad Hossain, a candidate for Assistant Secretary (Literature, Culture, and Publications), distorted representations of indigenous (hill) culture on his Facebook ID — violating sections 5(c) and 10(a) of the election code.
In addition, Saeed bin Habib, the GS candidate, entered classrooms to campaign among students, violating sections 4(e) and 6(j) of the code.

Unity in Diversity GS candidate Sudarshan Chakma said, “We filed the complaint for two reasons — classroom campaigning and the distorted portrayal of an ethnic community’s attire. Both are clear violations of the election code of conduct.”

The accused candidates, in their statements, claimed that Jihad Hossain intended to promote a message of harmony through his video and has since apologized for the misunderstanding, while Saeed bin Habib denied carrying out any election campaigning.

CUCSU Election Commission chief Professor Monir Uddin said, “We have received the complaint. The Director of the Code of Conduct Committee, Professor Amir Muhammad Nasrullah, is currently reviewing the matter. The complainants will receive fair redress.”