RU Correspondent :
The authorities of Rajshahi University [RU] sealed off the gates of all dormitories on Monday and members of the law enforcement agencies have taken control of the campus to avert any further violence.
Earlier in the morning, about 6,000 residential students of RU left their dormitories following shut down of the university for indefinite period after Sunday’s massive violence on the campus.
All the students of 16 residential halls including Syed Ameer Ali Hall, Munnujan Hall, Shah Mukhdum Hall, Nawab Abdul Latif Hall and Begum Khaleda Zia Hall left the campus with their belongings by 8:00am as per administrative order.
Several hundred students, especially the female, were seen standing helplessly at the Rajshahi bus terminals and railway station finding no transport available. The residential students are mostly from other districts.
They were frantically searching transport to go their home districts and many students suffered a lot due to shortage of money when the transport owners were allegedly charging higher fares than usual.
Several students were also seen standing in queues and most of them complained that they had been facing an acute shortage of transport. Some of them lambasted the RU administration for not giving them adequate time to leave the campus.
Ayatullah Khomeni, coordinator of the protesters, said the students were leaving the campus in great anger. “We’ll resume our protest against attacks on the students and to demand cancellation of the evening classes from the day the university reopens,” he added.
The announcement of RU syndicate to close down the university came just within hours after police and Bangladesh Chhatra League [BCL] cadres attacked the protesting students in front of administrative building those who were demanding withdrawal of the decisions to hike academic fees and introduce the evening master’s programmes.
Police rushed to the spot and charged baton indiscriminately, fired rubber bullets and lobbed teargas canisters when the demonstrators refused to go away, leaving about 100 students injured. Of them, about 20 students sustained bullet injuries as police opened fire and lobbed teargas shells in front of the university library. Besides, BCL men allegedly joined police during the attack on the students.
Four cases filed with Motihar PS
Four cases have been filed with the concerned police station following Sunday’s massive violence at RU campus.
Of them, Register of RU Professor Entajul Hoque filed two cases with Motihar police station on Monday afternoon accusing 50 identified and 150 unknown persons. Besides, the police also filed two cases accusing over 300 unidentified persons in connection with the campus violence.
Police detained Sajib Ahmed, a final year student of the Department of Finance and Banking, on suspicion of involvement with the incident of vandalism on the Rajshahi University campus. Officer-in Charge of Motihar Police Station Shamsur Noor confirmed the arrest.
Local sources said the armed cadres of BCL those who had conducted attack on students were not shown accused in cases filed by the varsity authority and police. Rather, a number of demonstrating students were accused in the cases.
RU probe body formed
The RU authorities have formed a five-member probe committee headed by Professor of Zoology Department Dr Khalequzzaman to conduct inquiry into the incident.
Other members of the committee are: Professor of Applied Mathematics Shamshul Alam Sarkar, Syndicate Member Advocate Ibrahim Khalil, Professor of Chemistry Nazrul Islamand and its member-secretary is acting Register Dr Entajul Hoque.
AL’s press briefing: blames Shibir militants
The ruling Awami League [AL] has claimed that the members of militant outfit and activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir- the student wing of Jamaat-e Islami, were mainly involved in Sunday’s heinous attack on the general students at RU.
“We have got information that the militant operatives along with Shibir cadres were infiltrated among the general students those who have been protesting against some steps of the varsity authorities,” said Dr Hasan Mahmud, publicity secretary of AL, at an emegrncy press conference at party president’s Dhanmondi office on Monday.
BCL forms probe committee
BCL yesterday formed a five-member probe committee to investigate into the untoward incident in Rajshahi University campus. The five-member probe committee headed by Vice President of BCL Joydeb Nandi and composed with Vice Presidents Shahinur Rashdi Sohel and Ziaul Haque Zia, joint secretary Mostafizur Rahman and office secretary Sheikh Russel.
The BCL central committee held an urgent meeting and formed the committee. The committee was also asked to submit their investigation report to the BCL president and general secretary in five days.
RU Journalist protest
Rajshahi University Journalists Association [RUJA], Rajshahi University Reporter’s Unity [RURU] and Rajshahi University Press Club [RUPC] jointly held the human chain yesterday in front of the university main gate demanding exemplary punishment of attackers on general students.
The journalists pressed home two-points demands that include withdrawal of Rajshahi Metropolitan East Region deputy district commissioner Proloy Chisym from the campus and withdrawal of four assistant proctors, Sakhawat hossain, Sirajul Islam, Zulfiqar Ahmed and Helal Uddin.
