A clash broke out between residential students and Chhatra Dal activists at Shahjalal Hall of Chittagong University (CU) last night over a community feast.
Chhatra Dal alleged that members of Chhatra Shibir, disguised as regular students, launched an attack on them. On the other hand, residential students claimed the opposite.
The incident occurred around 11:30pm, shortly after a community feast began at 10:30pm. Around 11:00pm, general residential students started protesting against Chhatra Dal, chanting slogans such as "We do not accept outsiders, we will not tolerate" and "No to parasitic politics."
The situation at Shahjalal Hall quickly escalated with into a clash.
In response, CU assistant proctors Nurul Hamid Kannan and Nazmul Hossain intervened to control the situation.
Abdullah Al Galib, a resident of Shahjalal Hall and a student of Banking and Insurance, said, "We found no evidence of the hall's provost approving the claims made by Chhatra Dal. They did not obtain permission for the community feast or any political meeting. They are advancing their political agenda, which we, the general students, are opposing."
However, Mohammad Yasin, joint secretary of CU Chhatra Dal, said, "We obtained permission from the provost to hold the feast inside the hall and arranged food in the dining area after dining hours. Due to the cold weather, we sought approval to serve the food inside Shahjalal Hall. Meals were prepared for 250 people. However, a group is labeling participants as 'outsiders' and attempting to destabilise the campus. The event was organised by Chhatra Dal members residing in Shahjalal Hall."
CU Assistant Proctor Nazmul Hossain confirmed to the protesting students that Chhatra Dal had indeed received permission for the feast from the hall's provost. He suggested that any complaints be discussed with the provost on Sunday.
Later, at CU Zero Point, Abdullah Al Noman, president of CU Chhatra Dal, condemned the attack, accusing Chhatra Shibir members disguised as students of ambushing them. He also criticised the administration for failing to investigate previous incidents.
"One of our members was injured in this attack," he added.
Noman added, "If the university administration does not take necessary action within the next 48 hours, we will be forced to take a stronger stand."
Source: the daily star