Moncho, BCL men attack Nur

Activists of a faction of Muktijuddho Moncho, mostly comprised of Chhatra League men, again beat up and injured Ducsu Vice President Nurul Haque Nur, storming into his office at the Ducsu building yesterday.  

At least 27 of his supporters were injured in the attack carried out around 12:45pm after Ducsu Assistant General Secretary and BCL leader Saddam Hussain threatened Nur with dire consequences if he didn’t leave his office.

Dhaka University Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani went to the spot around 1:00pm and sent 20 of the injured to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Of them, 14 were released after primary treatment, and six others, including Nur, were admitted to the hospital.

One of the six, Tuhin Farabi, a student of a private university in the capital, was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit from the emergency unit after he had breathing problems and convulsions.

“We have kept him under observation. We cannot say anything until 72 hours pass,” Mohammad Alauddin, resident surgeon at the casualty department, told this newspaper last night.

He said two of the injured left for a private hospital while the other three, including Nur, were shifted to cabins from the emergency unit at the DMCH last night.

This is the second time Nur came under attack from Moncho activists.

Witnesses said around 50 activists of a faction of the Moncho, led by its President Aminul Islam Bulbul and General Secretary Al Mamun, marched towards Ducsu building at 12:30pm following a Moncho programme on the DU campus.

Nur, who was entering the Ducsu building along with his supporters at that time, got locked into an altercation with the Moncho leaders.

After a while, Nur entered the Ducsu office.

Minutes later, DU BCL President Sanjit Chandra Das and Saddam went to the spot.

As Moncho activists and some BCL men started hurling brick chips at the VP’s office room, Nur asked the staffers at the Ducsu building to padlock its main gate.

The staffers unlocked the gate as Ducsu AGS Saddam moved towards it, witnesses told this newspaper.  

Later, Sanjit and Saddam, along with their followers, went to Nur’s office room and asked him why he had brought “outsiders” to the Ducsu building.

Nur replied that he had been in fear of attacks on him, and that was why he had some people around him for his security.

At one stage, Nur asked Sanjit why he had entered the Ducsu building though he didn’t hold any Ducsu post. 

Sanjit replied, “After a while, you will come to know who I am.”

Sanjit and Saddam had an altercation with Nur, and left the office.

Around 12:45pm, Moncho activists and some BCL men, wielding wooden and bamboo sticks, stormed into Nur’s office, switched off the lights and beat up Nur and his followers, alleged one of the injured, Hasan Al Mamun, convener of the quota reformists’ platform Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad. 

The attackers also damaged furniture and a computer in the room, he said.

Some BCL and Moncho activists stood guard in front of the Ducsu building and beat up Nur’s followers, who tried to escape, claimed Mamun.

At one stage, the attackers left the Ducsu VP’s office. Nur and some of his supporters locked the room from inside and stayed there until the DU proctor went there to rescue them.

The injured include Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad joint conveners Faruk Hasan, Rashed Khan and Moshiur Rahman.

Besides, Rukmiya Hossen Raj, Golam Kibria, and Zahidul Islam of Kabi Nazrul College, Ariful Islam of Jahangirnagar University and Aminur Islam, who introduced himself as Nur’s cousin, were wounded.

Contacted, Saddam said Nur and Moncho activists had a scuffle as the Ducsu VP brought outsiders to the Ducsu building.

He further said the BCL had asked both the groups to maintain a congenial atmosphere on the campus.

Talking to reporters, DU Proctor Rabbani said, “Ducsu VP entered his office with outsiders but he did not inform us. We repeatedly asked him to maintain an environment conducive to education on the campus.”

Witnesses said Nur had entered the Ducsu building with a group of 30-40 followers, almost half of them students of educational institutions other than the DU.

Some of the them are students of Jahangirnagar University, Jagannath University, Kabi Nazrul College and Govt Bangla College.

Contacted, Muktijuddho Moncho General Secretary Al Mamun, also ex-BCL deputy secretary for Liberation War and research affairs, claimed when general students learnt that Nur was holding a meeting with Shibir activists at the Ducsu building, they enquired him about it. But he “misbehaved” with them and they resisted him.

The Moncho, claimed to be comprised of freedom fighters’ children, was founded in October last year to counter the anti-quota demonstrations. It demanded reinstatement of 30 percent freedom fighter quota in all types of government jobs. 

The central committee was formed with Professor AKM Jamal Uddin of DU sociology department as convener, and Asibur Rahman, son of the then shipping minister Shajahan Khan, as member-secretary.

Later, Mehdi Hasan, son of a freedom fighter, claimed himself to be convener of the platform, and told journalists that he knew nothing about the committee.

Bulbul and Mamun were made president and general secretary of both the central and DU units of the platform. 

On October 10 this year, Prof Jamal expelled the two for their “anti-organisational activities”.

The duo issued a press release the same day, declaring that they still held the posts of president and general secretary of the organisation.

Prof Jamal and the duo issued separate press releases on October 14. Prof Jamal said he had expelled Bulbul and Mamun, while the duo stated that they had expelled Jamal.

Since then, the platform made headlines due to its controversial activities. Its leaders and members have allegedly been involved in attacks on activists of rival organisations.

On October 20, its Bulbul-Mamun-led faction swooped on Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists at Madhur Canteen on DU campus over the Facebook bio of JCD General Secretary Iqbal Hossain Shyamol. Five JCD activists were injured.

Members of the other faction, led by Convener Jamal, padlocked Nur’s office on December 4, and demanded his resignation after an unverified audio clip went viral.

At least 15 people, including Nur, were injured in an attack carried out by the Bulbul-Mamun-led faction on December 17 after they staged protests against the NRC and Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) of India.