The death of a student from Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College (DMRC) and the subsequent accusations against another institution, Dhaka National Medical College (DNMC), have sparked widespread unrest, drawing in students from 37 educational institutions.
This unexpected escalation raises a critical question: how did such a localized incident grow into a multi-institutional conflict involving hundreds of youth?
What happened
Students of DMRC allege that their fellow student, Abhijit Hawladar from the 24th batch, died due to medical negligence at the DNMC in Old Dhaka last week.
Furthermore, the hospital administration allegedly attempted to cover up the incident by offering Tk10,000 to his family.
The death sparked outrage and led to vandalism by DMRC students at the hospital on Sunday, joined by students from 34 other colleges in Dhaka.
Prominent institutions among the 34 colleges include Ideal College, Dhaka City College, Donia College, Adamjee Cantonment College, Giasuddin Islamic Model College, Govt Tolaram College, Dhaka Imperial College, Shaikh Burhanuddin Post Graduate College, Government Science College, Lalbagh Govt Model School and College, Notre Dame College, Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College, Siddheswari College, and Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah Institute of Science & Technology. Most of the participants were higher secondary students.
After vandalism at the hospital, students from DMRC and the 34 colleges collectively launched attacks on Kabi Nazrul Government College and Government Shahid Suhrawardy College in Old Dhaka, where first-year undergraduate final exams were ongoing. Over 100 examinees from both colleges were injured by brick chips and stones.
The enraged students reportedly caused extensive damage at Shahid Suhrawardy College, vandalizing the main gate, college vehicles and a digital noticeboard. They entered the old building, ransacking offices and classrooms, and even looting items from the zoology research lab. Skeletons used for academic purposes were reportedly taken.
The chaos forced the college administration to suspend ongoing exams.
Shahid Suhrawardy College Principal Prof Kakoli Mukhopadhyay said: “Before we could understand what was happening, they attacked us. Every room was vandalized, and teachers' vehicles were damaged. The college is now a ruin.”
She expressed frustration with the lack of police support, adding that multiple requests for military assistance had also been ignored.
Students from a total of 37 educational institutions, including these two colleges, were involved in this conflict.
How did other institutions get involved?
Investigation reveals that students from various colleges, mainly from higher secondary levels, are active in a Facebook group called United Colleges of Bangladesh (UCB).
This group had multiple posts about Abhijit’s death, rallying students together. It was from this platform that students joined the movement.
Origin of the conflict
Regarding the origin of the incident, Abhijit's batchmate Sawad said Abhijit was admitted to Dhaka National Medical College Hospital on November 17 after being diagnosed with dengue.
According to Sawad, the hospital authorities initially claimed they could not provide treatment. Later, when preparations were being made to transfer him to another hospital, they called him back and said they would treat him.
“At that time, Abhijit's platelet count was 105,000. That night, when he had convulsions, the doctors allegedly said it was due to substance abuse and restrained his hands and feet, only to release him later.
“Things appeared normal afterwards. Abhijit seemed relatively fine, talking to his guardians and eating properly. The next morning at 8am, when we visited him, he was still doing well, though he expressed dissatisfaction with the hospital and wanted to be transferred elsewhere. We made efforts to facilitate the transfer. However, in the afternoon, the doctors said his heartbeat was low, and they needed to put him on life support with a shock to increase it, requiring a deposit of Tk50,000.
“Abhijit’s family assured the hospital that money was not an issue and urged them to save him. Despite multiple attempts throughout the day to speak with the doctors, no one provided updates,” Sawad continued.
He said that at around 7pm, someone called them in and said Abhijit was no more.
It felt like the sky had collapsed on us, he recalled. “A boy we had seen eating and talking had suddenly died.”
“... we all went to the ICU to talk to the doctors to understand the cause. One of the doctors, seeing a mobile camera on, refused to speak and told us to leave. We requested that only two of us would talk. They agreed but asked us to wait for a while. Hours passed, but we had not received a death certificate. All the staff – receptionists, counters, ward masters and ward boys – disappeared. Then law enforcement arrived.”
Sawad said the hospital then proposed waiving the bills and offered Tk10,000 in compensation.
“Is a life worth only Tk10,000?”
“My question is, which hospital admits a dengue patient with a platelet count of 105,000 into the ICU? They claimed water had accumulated in his lungs and there was internal bleeding. If all this was true, why did they not inform us? If they could not provide proper treatment, why did they keep him for monetary gains and let him die? Why were the reports not shared with the family? There is definitely something suspicious. If they were innocent, why did they offer compensation?” Sawad said.
Another batchmate of Abhijit, Tonmoy, said: “At one point, leaders and activists of the Chhatra Dal from three institutions – Kabi Nazrul Government College, Shahid Suhrawardy College and Jagannath University – were called to the scene.
“They beat us up, and 10-15 students from our college were injured. We went there to demand justice for our classmate but were instead branded as political activists and attacked. Later that night, at about 10pm, we left the hospital and announced the next day’s program.”
On the evening of November 20, students held a protest by blocking DNMC but were dispersed by police.
DMRC students alleged that Chhatra Dal activists from Kabi Nazrul Government College and Suhrawardy College attacked them on that day, injuring around 20 students.
Arafat Hossain, a student from DMRC, said they had held a march demanding justice for “our brother’s death, but instead of supporting us, the police beat us.” Members of the Chhatra Dal – the student wing of the BNP – from the two colleges had also joined them, he claimed.
The Chhatra Dal’s Kabi Nazrul Government College and Suhrawardy College units denied the allegations.
A Chhatra Dal leader from Kabi Nazrul Government College, on condition of anonymity, told this correspondent that a local youth named Abir led a juvenile gang in the area who sometimes identified himself as a student of Kabi Nazrul Government College and other times as a student of Suhrawardy College.
“In reality, he is not affiliated with any institution. Using this incident, he extorted money from the hospital authorities. We have already informed the police about him. He has no connection to our organization. What happened between us and the students of DMRC was a misunderstanding.”
No statement was available from the DNMC authorities regarding the allegations.
However, commenting on the attack on the hospital, DNMC’s Dr Rashidul Hasan said a group of students had vandalized the hospital extensively following Abhijit’s death, disrupting normal medical activities.
“The patients were terrified, and so were the doctors on duty.”
He added that if the students had specific demands, they should have sought resolution through dialogue.
