20 BCL men among 25 hurt in clash over looting wine

DU Correspondent :
At least 25 people, including 20 Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists, were injured in a clash between the BCL activists of Salimullah Muslim Hall unit of Dhaka University and the staff of Peacock Bar after midnight on Thursday at the time of looting wine.
The Ramna and the Shahbagh Thana police
rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
The injured BCL activists including Salimullah Muslim Hall unit President Mehedi Hasan were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
Sources said that Mehedi Hasan and 10 other activists went to the Peacock Bar at Shahbagh. But seeing it closed, they forcibly opened the door, vandalised valuables, looted wine bottles and cash. But the Peacock employees retaliated and clobbered them.
Mehedi Hasan then phoned to the hall General Secretary Nizamul Haque Didar to rescue them from the spot. Didar went there along with two hundred activists. They rescued the BCL men and fired about 10 rounds of bullet. At one stage, clash began lasting for three hours from 12 midnight to 3am.
At least 20 BCL activists were injured. They were identified as Rabiul Islam, Sultan, Nasir Uddin, Tahsan, Aman, Sujon, Shamim, Surja and Pikul. The others’ name could not be known.
The employees of the bar said that Mehedi Hasan often used to come to the bar and took wine without paying bill. Sometimes, he asked the bar authorities to give him money. Yesterday he took wine and tried to loot money.
On condition of anonymity a student of Salimullah Muslim Hall told The New Nation that Mehedi Hasan and his followers intercepted people on the university campus, Suhrawardy Udyan, Curzon Hall area and Palasey Bazar area, and snatched money from them.
Another student said, the hall General Secretary Nizamul Haque Didar get a percentage from Mehedi. That is why Didar always helps Mehedi.
Mehedi Hasan admitted that he went to Peacock Bar and took some wine bottles. But he declined outright that he looted money from the bar.
BCL DU unit President Mehedi Hasan told The New Nation that he heard that such incident took place yesterday night. We are looking into the matter, he said.
DU Acting Proctor AM Amzad said they had locked the bar for temporary period. But he refused to take any action against his students.
Shahbagh Tahna Officer-in-Charge told this correspondent that on information, we rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. He said that the BCL activists went to the bar and vandalized the valuables.
He also said that the university administration should take measures to control its students.