| Shamim Chowdhury, why are you so mum? Hasina's dogs are doing pretty good job killing others. Rakhibahini is back! Hasina loves these - she drinks blood! http://www.samakal. com.bd/details. php?news= 13&action=main&option=single&news_id=38905&pub_no=212
| Bangladesh Chhatra League activists on Thursday hacked to death a Bangladesh Chhatra Maitree leader at the Rajshahi Polytechnic Institute, which triggered sporadic clashes between the two student organisations backed by two components of the ruling alliance. The institute unit Chhatra Maitree's senior vice-president Rezaul Islam Sunny was pronounced dead in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in the afternoon after he, along with some other leaders, were injured in attack by Chhatra League activists in front of the institute's administrative building about 11:30am.
The death and subsequent clashes prompted the authorities to close the institute for ah indefinite period and vacate the hostels. The Chhatra Maitree central committee has announced nationwide demonstrations for January 9 protesting at the killing. Spot accounts said about 50 Chhatra League activists, led by the institute unit president, Saddam Hossain Nizam, armed with sharp weapons, iron rods, hammers and hockey sticks attacked Chhatra Maitree leaders Rezaul, Kazi Abdul Motaleb Jewel and Sherafat Ali Khan Bulbul.
The Chhatra League activists also attacked two police constables, Shahidul and Ashraf, when they were trying to arrest the attackers. The armed Chhatra League activists managed to get away by attacking the policemen.
Rezaul sustained critical injuries in the head and Jewel had one of his fingers severed when they were attacked. Students of the institute with the help of the police took Rezaul and Jewel to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.. Critically injured Bulbul was sent to Dhaka.
Physicians at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital pronounced Rezaul dead about 4:10pm.
Activists of the Awami League-backed Juba League and the Workers Party-backed Chhatra Maitree again clashed at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in the afternoon when both the groups went to the hospital to see the deceased and injured Maitree leaders.
Witnesses said when a group of Juba League activists, led by Asaduzzaman Asad, went to the hospital about 4.30pm, Chhatra Maitree activists shouted slogans against them. The Juba League activists then attacked Chhatra Maitree activists with sharp weapons in the presence of lawmen, said Workers Party and Chhatra Maitree leaders.
'The armed Juba League activists, led by their leader Asad, attacked our activists in the presence of assistant police commissioner Jahangir Hossain,' said Workers Party leader Debashish Pramanik Debu.
Both the groups smashed window panes of the hospital and attacked each other. The police also charged at Chhatra Maitree activists with truncheons. Clashes at one point spilled over in the surrounding Lakshmipur area.
Later in the afternoon, the police raided Shah Neamatullah Hostel of the Polytechnic Institute, stronghold of Chhatra League, and arrested BCL activists Nabin, Shariful, Nahid and Manik. No weapons, however, could be seized.
The institute's academic council at an emergency meeting decided to close the institute for an indefinite period and asked the students to vacate the hostels by 5:00pm.
'We have closed the institute for an indefinite period so that violence cannot spread,' the institute's principal AKM Joynul Abedin said.
Sources in the institute said Chhatra Maitree activists, led by Jewel, had attacked Chhatra League unit president Nizam a few months ago and Thursday's attack on Maitree might have links with the incident.
The city unit Chhatra Maitree president, Matiur Rahman, alleged some Jamaat-e-Islami- backed Islami Chhatra Shibir activists had joined the Chhatra League during the city corporation elections in 2009 and they were involved in Thursday's attack. The Chhatra League also put the blame on Shibir activists, who identify themselves as activists of Chhatra League, for the incident. 'Some Shibir activists carried out the attack,' said Jedu Sarker, general secretary of the city unit Chhatra League.
Several hundred Chhatra Maitree leaders and activists went out on demonstrations in the city in afternoon demanding arrest and punishment of the Chhatra League activists responsible for the attack.
Police deployment was reinforced and Rapid Action Battalion personnel were deployed at the Polytechnic Institute and other institutions in the city to fend off further clashes.
The Workers Party of Bangladesh president, Rashed Khan Menon, and the general secretary, Anisur Rahman Mallick, in a statement condemned the killing and demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the perpetrators.
'The government assumed office with a charter for change but after assuming office, the Chhatra League has become an organisation of criminals and it does not hesitate to kill activists of a progressive organisation,' the statement said. 'If the Awami League fails to rein in the Chhatra League, it will invite their fall.' The Chhatra Maitree central president, Rafiqul Islam Sujan, and the general secretary, Biplab Roy, in a statement condemned the killing of Rezaul and demanded punishment of the people responsible. 'The goons of the Chhatra League are destabilising educational institutions when the Awami League assumed office with a pledge for changes,' the statement said.
'If the government cannot ensure that the criminals are punished, Chhatra Maitree will give a reply the killing by launching a movement. If Chhatra Maitree is forced to take that path, the organisation will not take any responsibility for any unstable situation in the education institution,' the statement said.
In similar statements, Bangladesh Juba Maitree president Sadakat Hossain Khan Babul and general secretary Mostafa Alamgir Ratan, Jatiya Krishak Federation president Abul Bashar and general secretary Shafiuddin Ahmed, acting Jatiya Krishak Samiti president Fazle Hossain Badshah and general secretary Aminul Islam Golap, acting Khetmajur Union president Ishak Sharif and acting general secretary Zakir Hossain Raju, and Nari Mukti Sangsad convener Hazera Sultana and joint convener Saleha Sultana condemned the killing and demanded punishment of the people responsible for the attack.
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