The newly formed student alliance, Santrash Birodhi Chhatra Oikya, brought out a mass procession on Saturday at Dhaka University campus demanding punishment of those who assaulted Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) Vice-President (VP) Nurul Haque Nur and others on December 22.
They also demanded the resignation of the university Proctor, Golam Rabbani, over his failure to ensure security on the campus.
It may be recalled that twelve student organizations on Friday announced the formation of the new alliance in light of the assault on VP Nur at the Ducsu office. The attack left Nur and 27 others badly injured.
Activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and Muktijuddha Mancha allegedly carried out the attack.
Among the injured, eight including Nur, are still undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Ducsu Vice President Nurul Haque Nur is being taken to the hospital on December 22 | Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune
Leaders and activists of the twelve student bodies brought out the procession from the Raju memorial sculpture and paraded on the campus and beyond before ending at Shahbagh.
Addressing the rally, Rashed Khan, Joint Convener of the Bangladesh General Students’ Rights Protection Council (BGSRPC) said that the gruesome attack was carried out in a bid to kill Nur.
He said: “Such attacks are not new for us, as we have regularly come under assault since the quota reforms movement began.”
Rashed also said: “None of the Chhatra League leaders was arrested though Chhatra League’s University Chapter President Sonjit Chandra Das and Ducsu Assistant General Secretary and also the university unit Chhatra League’s General Secretary Md Saddam Hussain and others led the attack; and in the second phase of the attack, Muktijuddha Mancha activists launched their brutality against us, beating us mercilessly.”
Ducsu Social Service Affairs Secretary Akhtar Hossein said: “The Chhatra League has established a reign of terror across the country and whoever speaks against them gets abused or beaten up.”
He demanded the withdrawal of the case filed against Nur and asked the relevant authorities to pay for his treatment.
He urged the relevant organs of the country to take action in making the campus democratic and safe for students.
Bangladesh Chhatra Federation President Golam Mustafa said: “The attack on the campus was not an isolated incident but part of the ongoing repression by ruling party men.”
Bangladesh Chhatra Federation DU Chapter President Faisal Mahmud, Socialist Students’ Front (Marxist) Central President Masud Rana, Bangladesh Students’ Union Central President Mehedi Hasan Nobel, Biplabi Chhatra Maitree President Iqbal Kabir, Shamsunnahar Hall union Vice-President Sheikh Tasnim Afroze spoke among others at the program.
