Assault on polytech principal: 4 more arrested; demo continues

Police arrested four students of Rajshahi Polytechnic Institute early today on charge of pushing the institute’s principal into a pond on the campus on Saturday. 

The arrestees are Mehedi Hasan Ashiq, 22, Mehedi Hasan Hiro, 23, Nabiul Uthsa, 20 and Khandaker Nazrul Islam, 23, reports our staff correspondent from Rajshahi.

Identifying them from the CCTV footage and based on the information given by the eye witnesses, police made the arrests from different areas of the city, said Additional Deputy Commissioner Golam Ruhul Kuddus, spokesperson of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.

Soon after the incident, police arrested five students on Saturday.

DEMO CONTINUES

Meanwhile, general students of the institute are continuing their demonstration for second consecutive day to press home their six-point demands including punishment of those who pushed the institute’s principal into a pond.

Around 11:00am today, they started the demonstration inside the campus, reports of Rajshahi University correspondent.

Their other salient demands are – cancellation of the studentship of the accused Bangladesh Chhatra League men responsible for the incident, establishment of student politics-free campus, restriction on outsiders to enter the campus, ensure safety of all students, teachers and officials of the institute and ensure congenial atmosphere on the campus.

WHY WAS THE PRINCIPAL ASSAULTED?

A group of Chhatra League men dragged Principal Farid Uddin Ahmed and pushed him into the pond on Saturday as he did not “accept one of their illogical demands”, the principal said.

At least 133, mostly BCL activists, of 455 examinees got 0, 1 or 2 in the 90-mark exam for second semester students in September. But the BCL men asked the authorities to make sure the activists pass the exam, the principal said earlier.

On Saturday, some youths, led by the institute unit BCL Joint Secretary Kamal Hossain Saurav, intercepted his way near a pond when he was walking towards his office around 2:00pm.

The footage of a CCTV in the area shows some nine to 10 youths dragging the teacher by his hands and neck and then pushing him into the waterbody.

Later on, the principal filed a case against 58 persons including seven BCL men with Chandrima Police Station.