500 hurt as BCL swoops on anti-quota protesters
Syed Shemul Parvez with Md. Moniruzzaman :
Several public universities across the country have been transformed into battlegrounds, resulting in over 500 injuries as the student wing of the ruling party, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), launched multiple attacks on ordinary students protesting against the quota system.
The Dhaka University (DU) campus witnessed a harrowing scene as BCL launched a brutal attack on students advocating for quota reforms in government jobs.
It was known that at least 297 demonstrators were injured in the assault, allegedly with assistance from outsiders.
The injured students received treatment at various hospitals, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the capital. Additionally, three to four members of BCL were reportedly injured during the clashes.
This correspondent found out that around 300 were injured students from DU were treated at the emergency unit of DMCH. Shockingly, there are allegations that BCL members even attacked injured students seeking treatment at the hospital.
According to the ticket counter at the DMCH emergency unit, 297 students had received treatment by 6:45 pm, and inside the emergency unit, injured students were being attended to, while several others with critical injuries awaited treatment.
Moreover, the neurosurgery unit treated approximately one hundred students by 5:40 pm, many of whom had sustained head injuries.
The situation escalated further when BCL leaders and activists chased injured students who had been taken to Dhaka Medical.
Around 5:20 pm, a group of BCL leaders and activists gathered in front of the hospital’s emergency department and forcibly ejected them.
Panic ensued at the hospital’s emergency department at approximately 5:25 p.m. when armed BCL members armed with sticks, bricks, and iron rods attacked students.
The violence erupted around 2:15 p.m. when quota reform protesters moved from Raju Sculpture to Hall area of Dhaka University upon learning that some protesters were facing obstruction from BCL.
When the protesters reached Bijoy Ekattor Hall, BCL leaders intercepted them and hurled stones and hot water from the upper floors.
In retaliation, the quota of protesters vandalized the windows and threw stones towards Bijoy Ekattor Hall.
During the tumultuous events at Dhaka University, the leaders of Bangabandhu Hall emerged donning helmets, armed with rods, and sticks, as they confronted the quota reform protesters.
Sensing the escalating tension, the protesters halted their advance towards Bangabandhu Hall.
Simultaneously, leaders from Ziaur Rahman Hall and Bijoy Ekattor Hall joined the fray, appeared with helmets and rods, and aggressively chased the protesters.
Meanwhile, approximately 400 BCL activists from various parts of Dhaka infiltrated the DU campus through the rear entrance of Bangabandhu Hall.
Another contingent of external BCL activists positioned themselves near Muhsin Hall and Modhur Canteen, prepared to launch coordinated attacks.
Unified in their approach, BCL leaders and activists from within the university halls and external factions launched multi-directional assaults on the protesters.
They wielded rods, pipes, and even sharp weapons such as machetes, resulting in severe injuries to over 300 male and female students.
As the protesters attempted to flee towards Dhaka Medical via Fuller Road, they were pursued and further assaulted by BCL members.
Tragically, several female students sustained critical injuries during these attacks.
Surveying the campus aftermath revealed a scene of bloodied paths, discarded footwear, scattered sticks, and stones strewn across the grounds.
The violence persisted as BCL members targeted Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah Hall around 5:20 p.m., attacking with sticks and iron rods.
Outside the hall, BCL leaders and activists hurled bricks and stones, while inside, protesters retaliated by throwing bricks upstairs.
The volatile situation was exacerbated by at least four explosions heard in the vicinity.
In another instance, some protesters attempted to take refuge near Curzon Hall, only to be mercilessly beaten by BCL members.
These external BCL elements were observed assaulting general students at various locations across the campus.
Throughout these clashes, which began around 2:15 p.m. and continued unabated, university teachers and house tutors were notably absent, failing to intervene or take any measures to quell the violence.
At 9:35 p.m., protesters convened a press conference in front of Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah Hall and announced their next steps.
Nahid Islam, protest coordinator, stated, “More than two hundred students have been injured so far, with 20 to 25 of them critically wounded.”
He asserted that the public must take to the streets, framing the incident as a premeditated government assault.
Nahid declared, “We will hold a rally at 3 p.m on Tuesday across educational institutions nationwide to protest this egregious attack. Following this, we will announce a nationwide blockade.”
He further added, “Now the students have returned to their respective halls.”
In response to the situation, an emergency meeting of the Provost Committee was convened at the Vice Chancellor’s residence, chaired by DU VC Prof. ASM Maksud Kamal.
Following the meeting, Dr. ASM Maksud Kamal emphasized, “For the safety of the students, our hall provosts will remain on-site throughout the night. We have also addressed other pertinent issues in the meeting, which will be communicated via a press release.”
Additionally, a number of students, including Eden College Samajtantrik Chhatra Front unit President Shahinur Sumi, were injured in an alleged attack by the college’s Chhatra League unit activists.
DMCH Police Outpost in-charge Inspector Bachchu Mia confirmed the incident, noting that Sumi is currently receiving treatment at the DMCH emergency department.
Meanwhile, at Jahangirnagar University, around 50 students were reportedly injured in an attack allegedly carried out by members of the Chhatra League.
The assault, led by Aktaruzzaman Sohel, president of the university’s Chhatra League branch, occurred in the Battala area of the campus on Monday evening.
As of the report’s writing at 8:30 pm, more than fifty students had been injured, with 20 in critical condition, necessitating transfer to a private hospital in Savar.
Similarly, at Rajshahi University, at least six students were injured in an alleged attack by Chhatra League members. At Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), three students were injured in an attack around 12:30 pm in front of the central library by alleged BCL members.
At Chattogram University (CU), at least five individuals, including a female student, sustained injuries in an attack on Kata Pahar Road led by alleged BCL members.
A BCL member has allegedly beaten a quota reform protester at the Islamic University in Kushita. The BCL leader has been removed from his hall residency.
Barishal University students have blocked off the Barishal-Kuakata Highway in protest of the BCL attacks on protesters at the DU campus.
Besides, at least six crude bombs exploded near Shahidullah Hall at Dhaka University on Monday evening.
Dhaka Metropolitan Commissioner Habibur Rahman has warned that they would take stern action if quota protesters break the law and order, defying the court order.
The DMP chief said this to the reporters on Monday morning, responding to a question after visiting Hussaini Dalan Imambara in old Dhaka, centered on Holy Ashura.