A teacher of Phulbaria Degree College and a fish trader were killed and around 100 others injured when a violent clash broke out between students-teachers and police in Phulbaria Upazila of Mymensingh district on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Abul Kalam Azad, an associate professor of Botany Department of the college and Safar Ali, 70, a fish trader. Safar Ali died on the spot while Abul Kalam Azad succumbed to his injuries at Mymensingh Community Based Medical College Hospital.
According to witnesses, teachers and students of the college and locals have been continuing their agitation demanding nationalisation of the college for the last few months as it has all the facilities similar to that of the government colleges.
On Sunday afternoon when the teachers and students staged demonstration and took out procession protesting a case filed against them, police swooped on them and started resorting to baton-charge and lobbing off tear gas shells.
Police also fired several rounds of blank shots to bring the situation under control.
Talking to journalists Professor SM Abul Hashem, a teacher of the college and convenor of Phulbaria Degree College Movement Committee, said as soon as they brought out the procession police clubbed them indiscriminately leaving Safar Ali dead on the spot while Abul Kalam succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
“It was a brutal action on us. It was also a barbaric one. Police beat up our teachers, students, guardians as well as pedestrians. We want justice of our teacher and pedestrian murder,” he said.
He said at least 100 people, including 25 teachers of the college, were injured in the clash.
Imam Hossain, an associate professor of the college, told The New Nation that of the injured teachers, condition of Helal Uddin, Upendra Chandra Das, Mujibul Haque and Mujibur Rahman and many students are stated to be critical as they were beaten up brutally by the cops during the incident.
“When we were staging demonstration in a peaceful manner, a heavy contingent of police stormed the college campus and started beating us,” he said When contacted Syed Nurul Islam, Superintendent of Police of Mymensingh district told The New Nation yesterday evening that teacher Abul Kalam Azad and fisherman Safar Ali died of heart attack.
“It is not correct. The teachers, students and locals who were also present during the violent incident, witnessed how and in what way the teacher Abul Kalam Azad and Safar Ali died,” replying to a query the Police Super said.
He added Safar Ali who was passing by the area died of heart attack some 300 yard away of the trouble-torn area.
“These kinds of unruly protests generate violence. There was no link between the deaths and the clash,” he claimed.
Rifat Khan Rajib, Officer-in-Charge of Phulbaria Police Station, said the protesters gathered on the college campus and started hurling stones at police who in turn fired teargas shells to disperse them.
“The agitators also tried to block the road and threw brick-chips at police during the clash and police charged baton to disperse them,” he said, adding the violence erupted as police moved in to dislodge protesters blocking the road
It was the worst incident in a spate of protests over the past several months demanding nationalization of the college. In the last few months, the teachers and students of the college also blocked the main road in realization of their demand.
Established in 1971, the institution runs honours in seven subjects.
Additional police have been deployed in and around the area. A tense situation is prevailing the area and panic also is gripping among the locals.
