Staff Reporter
Jagannath University was closed sine die after massive campus violence that left nearly 100 people, including 25 policemen, injured Tuesday. The university authority also asked the residents to leave the dormitories immediately as tensions gripped the campus.
The decisions were taken in an emergency meeting of the university syndicate chaired by Vice-chancellor Prof Abu Hossain Siddiqui in the evening, following the daylong rioting.
Source said Police charged baton and fired a hail of 8 rubber bullets and 117 teargas shells to disperse the students and seven agitating students were arrested from the spot. According to the witness and Campus sources said hundreds of students mostly Chhatra League activists, led by Gazi Abu Syed, General Secretary of Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL) JNU unit, staged demonstrations in the campus at around 11:00am reclaiming that all the 12 residential halls of the university were being ‘illegally’ occupied by some activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).
The clash broke out as police charged baton on the students when they tried to come out to the nearby street and started to march towards Bangabhaban at around 11:30 pm as part of their Bangabhaban-siege programme to press for vacating the dormitories.
Witnesses said when senior police officials went to the campus to discuss the matter with student leaders at about 12:45 pm, the angry demonstrators started hurling brickbats targeting the cops.
The clash flared-up immediately and flowed on the adjacent streets, which turned into a veritable battlefield amid showers of brickbats and bursts of teargas shells. Police charged baton, lobbed teargas shells and fired from shotguns to disperse the unruly students.
Jamaat-backed Chhatra Shibir students also rallied in front of the Bangladesh Bank office demanding the halls be freed from occupation by outsiders. As the police asked them to leave they too became involved in altercations. The agitated students also ransacked the Vice-Chancellor’s office and Bangladesh Bank’s Sadarghat office.
Moreover, they damaged at least a dozen passing vehicles partially and ransacked 20 roadside shops during the marauding.
The injured police were rushed to Rajarbagh Police Hospital and the students to nearby hospitals.
Talking to the New Nation a number of students alleged that police had unruly beaten up them including the female students entering inside the classrooms.
Mahadi, a student of History department alleged that police had taken his mobile by force during the clash.
Talking to the New Nation, Proctor Professor Kazi Asaduzzaman said, ” It is an unexpected incident. We invited them for negotiation. But the students suddenly become agitated and started vandalism. He also thinks that there may be ill motivation behind this unrest.”
On Saturday, JNU students had staged demonstrations on the campus and confined the vice chancellor to his office demanding a stop to the illegal occupation by outsiders of the12 dormitories situated outside the campus.
They lifted the siege at the VC’s office after proctor Kazi Asad assured the students of a quick solution.
The demonstrators said they would go for tougher moves if their demands were not met by Monday.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
