A faction of the Chittagong University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) enforced an indefinite strike on the campus today (Saturday) to press for its six-point demand. The demands include withdrawal of the ‘false cases’ against the leaders and activists of the faction and arrest of the killers of Taposh Sarker, an activist of the university unit of the ruling party’s student wing. The Varsity Express (VEx) group, allegedly backed by the university administration, made the announcement of the strike on Friday evening. The faction on December 17 had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the authorities to meet the demands. But the university administration failed to meet the demands within the deadline. Taposh Sarker, a second year student of the Sanskrit Department of the university and a BCL activist, was shot dead and five others were wounded in a fierce clash between two factions of the BCL unit on the campus on December 14. Hours after the incident, police in a drive recovered two pistols, six rounds of bullet, 20 sharp weapons, a few machetes and 20 pieces of iron rod from the Shahjalal Hall in the afternoon. Two cases were filed in connection with the incident on that day. Of the two cases, one was filed against 65 BCL men in connection with the recovery of arms and ammunition from the BCL-dominated Shahjalal Hall after December 14 BCL infighting that left BCL activist Taposh killed. Habibur Rahman, sub-inspector of Hathazari Police Station, filed the case against five identified and 60 unidentified BCL men including five activists of the VEx group on that day. The other case was filed by Hafizul Islam, a classmate of Taposh, in which 45 BCL leaders and activists were made accused. The accused in the murder case include cultural secretary of the Choose Friend with Care (CFC) group of the CU BCL Ashrafuzzaman Asha, environment secretary of the group Enamul Hasan Ovi and VEx group leaders Rubel Dey and Shahrid Shuvo. — Chittagong, Jan 3 (UNB).
