Staff Reporter :
At least eight students were injured in alleged attacks by Bangladesh Chhatra League activists on the Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote activists on the campuses of Rajshahi University (RU) and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet on Monday.
Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote activists were observing a nationwide strike protesting the January 23 attack by the BCL.
Left leaning students have sealed off the main entrance of the Arts Building at Dhaka University as part their protests against ‘attacks’ by the ruling party’s student wing.
They took position outside the building at 7:00am forcing students and teachers to use the back door of the building and other entrances through the proctor’s office and the dean’s office to reach classrooms.Our DU correspondent: A section of students under the banner of ‘Students against repression’ organised a press conference at Modhur Canteen in Dhaka University and raised their four point demands.
The demands are the authorities must open an inquiry and arrest the Chhatra League activists who assaulted demonstrators outside the VC’s office on January 23; withdraw vandalism charges brought against the demonstrators; arrange medical care for those who suffered injuries; and arrange the DUCSU polls without further delay.
They also demanded the removal of DU Proctor Professor Golam Rabbani on charge of negligence of duty.
On January 23, a newly formed alliance of students broke three gates into VC Md Akhtaruzzaman’s offices after parading through the TSC, Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Business Studies.
The alliance came into being after Chhatra League activists allegedly assaulted female students at a rally that urged the university authorities to scrap its affiliation with seven Dhaka-based colleges on January 15.
Students went on strike at the educational institutions across the country, said Imran Habib, president of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front and convenor of the alliance.
“We are here to protest the attacks on female students and students belonging to the anti-repression group,” said Alamgir Kabir, a student of political science.
The students sealed off the building that houses the Department of Political Science and marched back to the Faculty of Arts. Staffers, however, broke the lock soon after they left.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student front of the BNP, has expressed support to the Pragatishil Chhatra Jote but the alliance did not accept it, said Rajib Das, one of the protesters.
“We are not oblivious of how they assaulted female students at Shamsunnahar Hall in 2002.”
BCL men who beat up demonstrators outside the VC’s office on January 23 claimed that they went there to rescue the vice-chancellor who was attacked by “non-students” and confined him to his office. The DU authorities have echoed them.
Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling Awami League’s student front, is now active with protests against the ‘anti-repression group’ and demanded the student who “attacked” the VC’s office be expelled.
In Sylhet, 10-12 activists of a BCL faction allegedly attacked a rally brought out by Pragatishil Chhatra Jote at the main gate of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology around 11:00am, our Sylhet correspondent reports quoting the university Proctor Professor Jahir Uddin.
Eight activists were injured in the attack by BCL activists of the faction led by Mushfiqur Rahim Zia, said eyewitnesses.
In Rajshahi, the Chhatra Jote activists came under attack in front of the administrative building at Rajshahi University, our RU correspondent reports quoting Kingshuk Kingjal, president of the Chhatro Federation.
Around 9:30am a faction of BCL led by two former vice-presidents allegedly attacked the Pragatishil Chhatra Jote members, Kingshuk told the correspondent.
However, the university Proctor Professor Lutfor Rahman denied claims of the attack.
In response to the attack, Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote activists brought out a protest rally on the campus around noon.
Our Jahangirnagar University correspondent reports, around 50-60 students under the banner of “Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote” took position in front of the buildings of social sciences and arts and humanities faculty around 9:00am.
They also brought out a protest procession on the JU campus around 11:30am.
Academic activities were hampered following the strike but all the scheduled examinations were held.
