Sylhet, Nov 18 (V7N) – Students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) held a human chain and protest march on Monday demanding that the central student union (SUCSU) elections be held on December 10 and opposing the postponement of the winter break. The protest began at 1:30 p.m. in front of the university library building.
 
Demonstrators chanted slogans including “We will not accept mock elections,” “One-sided elections we reject,” and “SUCSU is our right, who can stop us?” Amina Begum, president of the Islami Chhatra Shibir SUST branch, said all political student organizations and students want the elections to be held on December 10. She criticized the administration for planning the elections on December 17 to favor a particular group, calling it unacceptable to the students.
 
Delwar Hossain Shishir, a student of the English department, added that the administration’s proposed election date coincides with various holidays, when many students would be off campus visiting family. “We have been conducting a peaceful movement since last week to ensure our demands are met. Students want the election date officially announced for December 10,” he said.
 
Earlier in the day, students conducted a signature campaign demanding the cancellation of the postponed winter break and the re-scheduling of elections before December 10. The majority of students participated in the campaign. The university’s winter break is scheduled from December 21 to January 1, but it was postponed by one week to accommodate the SUCSU election, prompting the protest.
 
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