At Jahangirnagar University, near the capital Dhaka, students protesting for quota reform were beaten overnight and at least four teachers and many students were injured in the incident.
The protesters claimed that at least one of the injured teachers was shot.
On Monday midnight, there was a chase between the agitating students and Chhatra League activists in Jahangirnagar University. The students blamed Chhatra League workers for the brutal beating. Two bomb blasts were also heard during the incident.
It is learned that since Monday evening, the agitating students gathered in front of the central library of the university and later took out the procession from there.
When the procession reached the Battala area of the university, they were attacked and during this time sharp weapons were seen in the hands of the attackers besides sticks.
Later, the students started marching again and BCL workers also took positions at different places.
However, no further untoward incidents have occurred since morning.
Mehdi Mamun, a journalist working at Jahangirnagar University, told BBC Bangla that when the protest march was taken out in front of the university library at 6:30 in the evening, the Chhatra League attacked the protesting students around 7:30.
The attack was led by the top leaders of the University Chhatra League.
Mr. Mamun said that for about half an hour there was a chase between the quota activists and the Chhatra League in the Shahid Minar area of the university.
Around twelve o’clock in the night, when Chhatra League and outsiders attacked the students again in the campus, the students came from different halls and gave chase.
At that time, many people took a position in the residence of the Vice-Chancellor to escape from the attack, bricks were thrown at them and BCL workers took a position outside the gate of the residence. Professor Kamrul Ahsan, former general secretary of Jabi Teachers Association, alleged that they entered and attacked the teachers and students.
IMAGE SOURCE,PID
“A few teachers went to the VC building to rescue the protesting students in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s residence after hearing that they were surrounded by terrorists with weapons from all sides. During the discussion there, the terrorists broke open the main gate of the VC building and attacked in the presence of the police,” he told BBC Bangla.
He said at that time 10-12 teachers took shelter in the VC’s store room to save their lives. After some time the assailants broke into that room and started abusing and beating.
At one point, when the police came and took position in front of the building, the Chhatra League workers moved away. Later, around two in the night, students from various halls started coming towards the Vice Chancellor’s residence in a procession. At this time, there was a chase between the two sides.
At one point, there were several chases and clashes between the protesters and the police. Later the police dispersed the students.
Incidentally, fresh student protests started on Sunday night in various universities including Dhaka University under the banner of anti-discrimination student movement in protest of a comment by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and some demands including quota reform.
Clashes were reported everywhere after BCL workers started attacking the protestors in all campuses including Dhaka since Tuesday afternoon.
It has also come up in the media that outsiders came and attacked the students in every campus.
Anger about Sheikh Hasina’s words
Referring to the context of canceling the quota in 2018, Sheikh Hasina said at a press conference in Dhaka on Sunday, “During the agitation in 2018, I canceled the quota due to various reasons, including street vandalism, attacks on people, lies. And now the matter is on the court”.
He said, “The matter is pending in court. The court asked the students to go to the court if they have a say. We have nothing to do until we get a solution from the court”.
So how long will this movement of students last? Or what is the future of this movement? – In response to such a question, Sheikh Hasina said, “Let them protest. They will not be able to do any destructive work. If they lay hands on the police, break the car, the law will run at its own pace.”
Sheikh Hasina said that students are speaking against the freedom fighters in the ongoing movement and raised the question, who gave them the right to speak against the freedom fighters? Sheikh Hasina questioned why some are protesting against quota after being admitted to quota as the grandson of freedom fighters.
He asked the question, grandsons of freedom fighters will not get quota in government jobs, will Razakar’s grandsons get it?
However, the journalists asked Sheikh Hasina whether any quarters are fueling this movement. But he did not give any answer.