BCL infighting shuts SUST indefinitely

Supporters of Chhatra League’s SUST unit General Secretary Imran Khan and Senior Vice-President Abu Sayeed Akand locked into a clash before ransacking and vandalising several rooms of Shah Paran Hall. Police raided the three residential halls afterwards and recovered 50 pipes, 10 iron rods, four improvised bombs, two machetes, two rounds of bullets from the Shah Paran Hall. A press release signed by SUST Registrar Md Ishfaqul Hossain said the male students of three residential halls had been asked to vacate the premises for 10 days. The three halls --Shah Paran, Bangabandhu and Syed Mujtaba Ali-- will reopen on Jan 6. However, the female residential halls will remain open. According to the press release, the authorities have also postponed examinations, classes and banned rallies and procession on the campus. Later, students staged a demonstration in front of the main gate of the university and blocked roads in protest at the shutdown. The roadblock caused huge traffic congestion on part of the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway. "It is unacceptable; we cannot take the responsibility for Chhatra League’s clash," said former convener of SUST Sommilito Sangskritik Jote Sarwer Tusher. "We want the university to be reopened immediately." Local people said the students started demonstrating at around 12pm. Additional police officers have been deployed on the campus to avoid any further incidents. A five-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident.