At least five leaders of the quota reform movement were injured during an onslaught on their demonstration on Dhaka University campus today.

Our campus correspondent reports, Bangladesh Chhatra League activists pounced on them before a scheduled human chain near TSC around 3:00pm.

The injured — Bin Yeamin Mollah, Tarek Rahman, Ahmed Kabir, Jashim Uddin Akash and Sohrab Hossain —are all joint conveners of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, a platform that spearheaded the quota reform movement.

The attackers padlocked the gate of the TSC and beat them up indiscriminately when they were preparing for their programme, according to witnesses.

Of the injured, Sohrab Hossain is now undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) while the rest of the injured took primary treatment there.

Talking to The Daily Star, Bin Yeamin Mollah said they were supposed to hold a human chain demanding violence-free election, under the banner “Nirapad Bangladesh Chai”.

“When we went inside the TSC to have lunch, around 20 to 25 BCL men including Shahidul Shan, school affairs secretary of Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haque hall unit, and Sohanur Rahman, vice president of Ziaur Rahman Hall, attacked us without any reason,” he claimed.

“The BCL men hurled abusive words towards us and punched, kicked and slapped us mercilessly, he added.

The victims alleged that all the BCl men are followers of DU Unit BCL president Sanjit Chandra Das.

Contacted, Sanjit said he was still unaware of the attack and would look into the matter.

Asked about the attack, DU Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani said no one filed any compliant to him regarding the incident. “But I sent the proctorial team to the spot after information.

I was told there was a scuffle at the scene, said the proctor.