A factional clash between activists of ruling Awami League’s student-front, Bangladesh Chhatra League, in Dhaka University’s Jagannath Hall Tuesday left at least six injured including two with bullet wounds and four others hit with shrapnel.
The violence between the hall unit’s faction led by its President Suprio Kundo Rajesh and the section led by General Secretary Sajib Biswas broke out around 10:30pm.
Activists of the hall unit were observing the death anniversary of former student leader Partha Pratim Acharya at the auditorium of the newly constructed Shantosh Chandra Bhattacharya hall.
At around 10pm, a scuffle took place between activists of the factions during the ceremony. Sanjib, a fourth year law student and Piash, a master’s student of philosophy, both activists of Rajesh’s group were reportedly assaulted by Sajib’s followers.
“Shajib’s followers including Shimul tried to leave the ceremony when the prayers were ongoing. Sanjib and Piash stopped them and told them not to leave. They started an argument that led to a scuffle,” Rajesh claimed.
Following the incident, supporters of Sajib were chased by Rajesh’s men to the dormitory, where they took refuge and blasted crude bombs and fired several rounds.
“They suddenly attacked us when we were returning to the dormitory,” Rajesh claimed.
Shajib, however, denied the allegations and said that it was Rajesh’s followers who attacked them.
Eye-witnesses said that canteen boy Rajib Chandra Das was wounded in the right thigh and Management Information System master’s student Subho Sarkar was wounded in the left thigh from the shots.
Three or four others including fourth year international relations student Palash Talukder were injured by shrapnel from the bombs.
DU Proctor Amzad Ali said: “The incident initiated from a small argument. It was not political at first but then reached bigger proportions after politics got involved. There must be a motive behind it and a probe will be formed.”
The hall’s provost, Ajay Kumar Das, when contacted nearly an hour and a half after the violence started denied any knowledge about the incident.
