RU students lock admin building, stage sit-in protest

A group of Rajshahi University students this morning locked the main gate of the administrative building and then staged a sit-in in front of the VC's residence in protest of the violence during their prolonged clashes with locals and police yesterday.

The clashes, that took place in the city's Binodpur area near the campus yesterday evening, left more than 220 people injured.

Early this morning, the premises of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) was filled with injured students and their attendants, our Rajshahi correspondent reports.

From 10:00am today, the students started taking position in front of the administrative building. Later, they locked the main gate of the administrative building and marched towards the RU vice-chancellor's residence.

Abdul Majid Antor, coordinator of RUCSU Andolan Mancha, said, "The university administration has completely failed to ensure the safety of the students. We saw injured students running around in the hospital almost all night. I saw their helplessness."

He claimed that if the university administration could ensure the safety of the students, the locals and members of the law enforcement agencies could not have attacked the students in this way.

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RU students, locals clash; over 220 hurt

At least 20 students suffered shotgun pellet injuries as police fired teargas and rubber bullets to control the situation.

Protesting the police firing and violence, students later staged a sit-in protest in front of the VC's residence around 11:30am today.

RU authorities termed the police firing on the students was "without authorisation of the university and illegal".

Prof Sultan-ul-Islam, RU pro-VC told The Daily Star that the authorities called for a meeting with the police in this regard. They will also sit with all the parties concerning the violence.

"We will find out why a trivial matter took such a serious turn".

According to the RMCH staffers, they are treating some 86 persons who were injured during last night's violence at Binodpur Gate of the campus and neighbouring Binodpur Bazar.

Among the injured, at least 50 are RU students, and 20 of them were hit with rubber bullets, RMCH staffers said.

One of the students, Md Rakib is admitted to the ICU with bullet injuries on his head and throat, they said.

The clashes started when, according to law enforcers and locals, a student of the university was travelling to Rajshahi from Bogura by bus when he had an argument with the bus driver and his assistant over taking a seat in the bus.

When the bus stopped at the Binodpur gate of the university around 6:00pm, their argument reignited.

At that time, a local shopkeeper intervened, taking the side of the bus driver and helper.

There was pushing and shoving between the shopkeeper and the student. The situation soon escalated as more students and locals engaged in the fight and chased each other.