As part of the ongoing student-public solidarity program of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, a scuffle took place between two groups from Barguna during a meeting with central leaders and coordinators from various upazilas.
Six students were injured in the altercation.
The incident took place on Saturday at 12pm during the meeting at the Barguna Shilpakala Academy auditorium.
Police and naval personnel intervened to control the situation. Later, police arrested Rezaul Karim Anik, who was carrying sharp local weapons.
Eyewitnesses said that the central leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement held a meeting with upazila representatives at the Shilpakala Academy in Barguna as part of their divisional student-public solidarity tour for the greater Barisal zone.
During the meeting, a group of students from Rezaul Karim's group began chanting slogans against Mir Niloy, who they accused of being aligned with the Chhatra League, despite his claim to be a coordinator of the movement.
This led to a physical altercation between the two groups, halting the first session of the meeting.
It took police and naval personnel about an hour to restore order. When the second session began at 3pm, the two groups again engaged in verbal disputes.
General students expressed their frustration, saying that they had participated in movements against quotas and authoritarianism, but now the focus has shifted to a power struggle, with everyone trying to become a coordinator.
Rezaul Karim, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, claimed that Mir Niloy was once a Chhatra League activist who is now posing as a coordinator.
In response, Mir Niloy told reporters that a few students, motivated by the Chhatra Dal, were tarnishing his reputation. He stated that he had been part of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement from the beginning and that conspiracies were being hatched against him to derail the movement.
Barguna Sadar Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Md Shamim Mia said that two executive magistrates, along with police and navy personnel, were deployed by the district administration to ensure the success of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement's program.
He added that it was not their responsibility to determine who the rightful coordinators were, and their focus was on ensuring the safety of the central leaders.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Md Abdul Halim mentioned that the police were providing security for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement's event. Although there was some tension between the two groups during the first session, the situation is now under control.
He also said that during security checks for the second session, a machete was recovered from one of the attendees, who has been taken into police custody for further investigation, and necessary actions will be taken against him.
