| BCL factions clash at DU: 8 injured DU Correspondent At least eight people, including three activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), student wing of Awami League (AL), were injured in a factional clash on Dhaka University (DU) campus yesterday.
Campus sources said a group of activists of a faction that was deprived of positions in the last BCL central committee formed on April 6 in 2005, swooped on Reazuddin Ahmed Chowdhury Sumon, an activist of mainstream BCL faction, with bamboo and steel rods in front of Madhu's Canteen at around 2:00pm while Sima Islam and Utpal Saha of the renegade faction were beaten by Shihab, Russell and Rani of Dhaka College unit of BCL mainstream faction and Banti of DU unit on DU library premises at around 1:00pm.
With serious injures on head and legs, Sumon was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital while Utpal and Sima received treatment from university medical centre and Dhaka University Medical College Hospital respectively.
Jahidur Arman, the university correspondent of the Dainik Dinkal, was also injured during the clashes between two groups.
A good number of outsiders were seen among the activists of both the factions.
A tension was prevailing among the leaders and activists of two BCL factions since morning after Saturday night's chase and counter-chase between the factions on Mall Chattar premises.
The clash ensued after mainstream BCL activists swooped on Utpal and Sima right after their scheduled demonstration demanding release of AL President Sheikh Hasina ended.
On Saturday night, activists of two factions took position at Mall Chattar at around 11:00pm and the rival factions chased and counter-chased each other till 2:00am yesterday.
Meanwhile, two crude bombs exploded on the spot within seconds. Later, normalcy was established after the authorities deployed a good number of police.
BCL DU unit General Secretary Sazzad Saqib Badsha said, "To vandalise our ongoing demonstration for the release of Sheikh Hasina, forces from a certain quarter are hatching conspiracy."
However, Alamgir Kabir Dolan, a leader of the renegade faction, told The Daily Star, "It was unexpected that activists of BCL would beat each other. Everything happened due to the inefficiency of leaders in the existing committee. Junior BCL activists want a new committee."
However, sources said the incident resulted from a longstanding clash between the leaders and activists of the factions.
The situation will worsen if BCL high-ups fail to handle the issue carefully, sources added.
DU VC Prof SMA Faiz said they have called an emergency meeting of the syndicate today to monitor the overall situation of the campus.
A DU press release yesterday added that a five-member probe committee has also been formed with Pro-VC AFM Yusuf Haider as convener to investigate into the incident. The committee will submit its report within seven days. | |