At least 100 people, including students, were injured in a series of clashes among the students of three colleges, Kabi Nazrul College, Shaheed Suhrawardy College and Dr Mahbubur Rahman Molla College, in the capital’s Demra on Monday.
The violent clashes took place in and around Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College and its adjacent areas as over 20,000 students of the three colleges fought with each other for more than four hours since 11:00am, according to witnesses.
About 12,000–13,000 students of Suhrawardy College and Kabi Nazrul College took position in front of the Bahadur Shah Park and then headed towards Mollah College in Demra, said the police.
The students then invaded Mollah College, vandalised and looted furniture and other valuables, breaking police obstacles at Jatrabari Chowrasta, said the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
The intense clash halted the traffic movement in and around areas and also inter-districts buses on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway for about four hours.
Sutrapur police sub-inspector AKM Hasan Mahmud Kabir filed a case on Monday against 7,000-8,000 unnamed students and others organistions’ leaders and activists.
The allegations in the case included acts of sabotage, looting police arms and ammunition, vandalising police vehicles and causing obstruction to performing their duties and giving them life threats, according to the case statement.
Six platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh and additional members of others law enforcement agencies were also deployed to control the situation.
At least 30 injured people took treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said DMCH police out-post in-charge Md Faruk.
The admitted patient, Minhaz Hussain Nafi, is a student of Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College.
His uncle Nasir said that Nafi was stabbed with sharp weapon in the abdomen during the clash.
Kabi Nazrul Government College Bangla department student Hasinur came to the hospital with a serious injury in the head.
His friend from the same department Parvez Ahmed claimed that students of Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College hit Hasinur with sticks and pipes on his head and spine and left him on the road in the afternoon.
He claimed that students of Kabi Nazrul Government College and Government Shahid Suhrawardy College went in front of Mollah College to hold a rally protesting at the previous day’s attack.
But Mollah College students along with outsiders attacked on them first, Parvez said.
Kabi Nazrul Government College principal Habibur Rahman visited the hospital in the evening and said that the violent clash between students was extremely unfortunate.
‘We never want repetition of such clash,’ said the principal.
Dhaka National Medical College and Hospital duty doctor Rashidul Hasan said that 40 students took treatment from them, 10 of whom were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
Dr Mahbubur Rahman Molla College in a press release said that over a 100 students and teachers were injured as students from Kabi Nazrul College, Shaheed Suhrawardy College and other colleges invaded their college campus and launched attacks on them.
The release said that their assets worth Tk 60–70 crore were damaged in the attack as the Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah Institute of Science and Technology was also damaged.
It claimed that the attackers also looted schools valuables and vandalised the principal’s office.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police, in a release said that 25 students were injured in the clash.
DMP deputy commissioner for Wari Division Saleh Uddin told New Age that they were trying to hold a meeting with the coordinators of three colleges to resolve the dispute.
‘We have deployed additional forces in the areas,’ he added.
The Molla College press release also outlined three specific demands, including immediate identification and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators, strengthened security measures on campus to ensure student safety and effective recovery of looted assets, and restoration of damaged documents.
The police also said that student forums of 35 colleges and students of Dhaka University affiliated seven colleges had been continuing clashes over the death of Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College student Abhijit Howlader on November 18.
Abhijit Howlader died on November 18 at National Medical College and Hospital while undergoing treatment for dengue.
source : new age
