20 injured as CU BCL factions clash
At least 20 people were injured when two groups of Chittagong University's Bangladesh Chhatra League unit clashed over establishing supremacy at AF Rahman Hall early yesterday.
During the incident, many rooms were vandalised and valuables looted.
Police and witnesses said the dormitory and its adjacent area had turned into "a battleground" during the clash.
Earlier on Wednesday, "Bijoy", a BCL faction comprised allegedly of followers of Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, and "Concord", a faction comprised allegedly of followers of Chattogram City Corporation Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, chased each other on the campus, leaving five BCL men injured.
Campus sources said the two groups had previous rivalry.
They added that a fight had begun between Bijoy member Md Abdullah and Concord member Arman at the Alaol Hall over sharing room no.238.
Later that night, senior leaders of Bijoy harassed Arman, who informed his group about the incident at Shah Jalal dormitory.
Following the incident, a tense situation had been prevailing on the campus since Wednesday morning, while members of both the groups were seen carrying sharp weapons and repeatedly chasing each other on the campus that evening.
Activists of another BCL fraction, "Sixty-Nine", also loyal to AJM Nasir Uddin, joined the Concord men in the chase.
Around 1:30am on Thursday, Concord and Sixty-Nine men attacked Bijoy men in AF Rahman Hall, where most of the members and leaders of Bijoy used to stay.
A witness said the two groups came with sharp weapons and attacked the Bijoy men inside the hall and at one point, started breaking the lights there.
"They broke all the lights of the dormitory from the ground floor to third floor, leaving the dormitory dark. Then they started breaking windows and hitting doors [of the rooms] with sharp weapons. The general students were all in panic," he added, preferring anonymity.
On information, Hathazari and CU outpost police rushed to the spot and dispersed the BCL men by charging batons on them.
Speaking to The Daily Star, CU Proctor SM Monirul Islam said, "They broke almost all the windows of the dormitory after breaking all the lights. They also damaged five motorbikes parked at the hall."
"Some students also alleged that valuables were looted from their rooms during the incident," he said, adding, "Additional police members were deployed on the campus to avoid further clashes, and we will sit with the two BCL groups to solve the problem."
"Legal action will be taken as per the vice-chancellor's order," the proctor said.
Dormitory sources said around 87 rooms at the hall were vandalised. After the clash the Bijoy men fled the hall.
Masud Alam, officer-in-charge of Hathazari Police Station, said, "Police detained eight BCL men from the spot."
According to police, campus sources and local media, at least 400 BCL leaders and activists were injured in 75 factional clashes in the last 10 years, since the AL led government assumed office in 2009.
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