Protesting students of over 35 colleges vandalized Government Shahid Suhrawardy College in the capital on Sunday, leading to the suspension of the ongoing honours first-year final examination.
According to witnesses, the incident occurred around 2:30pm during a clash between students of Suhrawardy College and Kabi Nazrul Government College near the Dhaka National Medical College.
The altercation had begun earlier, at 2pm, with a chase and counter-chase between the two groups. Eventually, the students from Kabi Nazrul College entered Suhrawardy College premises.
At the time, the honours first-year history examination was underway at Suhrawardy College, with students from Kabi Nazrul College also participating. The exam, which began at 12:30pm, was suspended after two hours due to security concerns.
Professor Dr Kakoli Mukhopadhyay, principal of Suhrawardy College, said: "Today was an examination day. Around 1pm, I noticed on the CCTV that a large number of boys and girls had entered the premises. They broke the gate and carried out acts of vandalism, damaging vehicles and even the gas line. Can such actions really be attributed to students? No genuine student would engage in such destruction."
Mufti, a student of Kabi Nazrul College, told Bangla Tribune: "We were about an hour and a half into the exam when we heard sounds of vandalism. At 2:30pm, the teachers announced the suspension of the exam."
During the vandalism, examinees and other students were trapped inside the college. Most of the rooms, including the vice-principal’s office, were damaged. Vehicles on the premises, including a private car, a microbus, an ambulance, and two motorcycles, were also vandalized. Protesters were seen carrying away items such as trophies and chairs from the college.
The situation was eventually brought under control after teachers and staff members intervened, persuading the students to leave the premises. Following this, the examinees gradually exited the college.
No official statement has been released yet about when the postponed exam will be rescheduled.
The incident is linked to the death of Abhijit Halder, a student of Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College.
Abhijit was admitted to the hospital's medicine department on the morning of November 16 with dengue shock syndrome and passed away on November 18. He was part of the HSC Batch 24.
Following his death, students staged protests on November 20 and 21, blockading the hospital.
They alleged that students and activists from Kabi Nazrul College and Suhrawardy College had attacked them during these demonstrations.
On Sunday, as part of a pre-announced program, the agitated students gathered in front of National, Kabi Nazrul, and Suhrawardy Colleges, resulting in clashes.