At least 10 people were reportedly injured as two groups of Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, clashed over rooms in two dorms of Dhaka University in the early hours of Sunday.
Sources said one group follows DU Chhatra League President Mazharul Kabir Shayan and the other General Secretary Tanbir Hasan Saikat, and the two dorms in question are Surja Sen Hall and Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall.
Witnesses, describing how one of the rooms was being taken over, said Shayan's followers at around midnight entered room 204 of Surja Sen Hall and forced resident students Mustafa Iqbar Hriday and Zahid Hasan – followers of Saikat – to vacate it.
At about 1:15am, Saikat's followers ganged up on the intruders and asked them to leave the room. At this time, 30 to 40 activists of Shayan's group launched an attack with sticks, stumps, etc from the other side of the hall.
At least 10 people from both groups were injured, and the condition of two of them is also said to be critical. They were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
The two are Department of Japanese Studies student Md Sujan (Shayan's group) and Department of Communication Disorders' Jaber Bin Amin.
After the clash, both sides took positions at the hall gate. They shouted slogans at each other and exchanged heated words.
Later, DU Chhatra League President Shayan and General Secretary Saikat came to the hall to calm the situation.
Several leaders of Chhatra League said that the two leaders sat down and resolved the situation.
