At least 10 people, including four journalists, were injured after activists of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) allegedly attacked journalists in front of Ziaur Rahman Hall at Rajshahi University (RU) on Sunday night.
Rajshahi University Proctor Mahbubur Rahman said that the university authorities failed to control the attack, saying the police also “fled in fear” after being called to the scene.
The incident took place around 8:30pm on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses said Chhatra Dal activists attacked the journalists with locally made weapons, including machetes, cleavers, hockey sticks and metal pipes. Four journalists sustained serious injuries.
The injured journalists were Arifuzzaman Qurban, Rajshahi University correspondent of bdnews24.com; Ziaul Islam of Agamir Shomoy; Noor Ahsan Mridul of The Daily Star; and Mainul Islam Raju of Samakal.
Several other journalists were also injured and were receiving treatment at the university medical centre.
Witnesses said Chhatra leaders arrived at the gate of Ziaur Rahman Hall around 8pm in a procession from the university’s Transport Market, allegedly intending to attack Hall Students’ Union General Secretary Ariful Islam. They were carrying locally made weapons, including machetes, cleavers, hockey sticks and metal pipes.
When the university proctor arrived after being informed of the situation, the activists allegedly hid the weapons.
Seeing the Chhatra Dal activists carrying weapons at the hall gate, correspondents of Samakal and Ajker Patrika approached to record the incident. The activists allegedly assaulted them in the presence of the proctor and tried to seize an Ajker Patrika correspondent’s mobile phone.
The bdnews24.com correspondent was later allegedly assaulted. The proctor then took the journalists inside the hall and locked the door for their safety.
After other university journalists arrived upon hearing about the attack, the Chhatra Dal activists allegedly assaulted The Daily Star correspondent and the Agamir Shomoy correspondent. Ziaul Islam sustained a head injury in the attack.
Other journalists who came forward to protect the injured were allegedly threatened with being killed.
“We failed. We could not control the attack. We called the police, but they also fled in fear,” Proctor Mahbubur Rahman said.