Five students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) were allegedly confined and assaulted by shopkeepers in Savar on Monday night following a dispute over bargaining.
The incident took place around 10pm at an eyewear shop in Royal Market, near the old bus stand overbridge in Savar.
Later, a joint team comprising law enforcement agencies, the university administration, and representatives of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (Jucsu) rescued the students.
The incident sparked tension on campus, prompting authorities to keep security forces on alert to prevent further clashes between students and traders.
Eyewitnesses said Asaduzzaman Asad, a student of the 53rd batch from the Department of Mathematics, along with his classmates, went to another shop to buy headphones. An altercation broke out during bargaining, leading to a heated situation. At one stage, the shop owner and his staff reportedly attacked the students with a hammer.
Amid the chaos, the shop owner fell sick and was taken to Enam Medical College Hospital by nearby traders. Upon hearing the news, other local traders surrounded the students and confined them inside the shop.
Police from Savar Model Police Station, army personnel, JU authorities, and newly elected Jucsu leaders rushed to the scene. While the students were rescued, Jucsu leaders also visited the injured shop owner at the hospital.
Savar Model police station Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Ashiqur Rahman said everyone had been urged to remain patient and tolerant so that the altercation between local traders and students does not escalate further.