CU turns into battlefield as locals, students clash

Chittagong University (CU) turned into a battlefield on Sunday as a series of clashes erupted between locals and the university students over the alleged assault on a female student by a guard of her mess near the campus.

More than 60 people, including the pro-vice-chancellor and proctor of CU, students and villagers, were injured in the mayhem.

Sources said the students of CU had been demonstrating on the campus since morning protesting against the Saturday night's incident of physically assaulting the female student in Gate No. 2 area at Fatepur village.

Clashes broke out in the morning several times and later, around 12 noon in the Gate No. 2 area, and violence erupted again as a sequel to the protest.

Pro-vice Chancellor Professor Kamal Uddin and Proctor Tanvir Mohammad Hayder Arif were injured in the clashes.

Meanwhile, the local administration imposed section 144 in and around the CU campus from 2pm on Sunday until 12am today (Monday).

All kinds of gatherings, rallies, demonstrations and carrying firearms and sharp weapons were prohibited during the period, said the notice issued by the local

administration.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Hathazari, Abdullah AL Mumin said, "On Sunday, from the eastern boundary of Gate No. 2 Bazar of CU in Fatepur Union under Hathazari upazila of Chattogram to the east of the railway gate at 11:30 am, local people and university students clashed on both sides of the road, facing each other in an aggressive manner, and the parties are still in a tense and aggressive state."

"Therefore, by virtue of the powers vested in me, I have issued the following orders in the interest of protecting the lives and property of the public, maintaining law and order." Police personnel were deployed to quell the unrest at noon.

Later, a platoon of the Bangladesh Army was deployed on the campus around 3:30am to bring the situation under control.

According to the students and locals, the clash broke out around 11:45 pm in the No 2 gate area of the north residential area of CU when a group of locals hurled brick chips targeting students without any provocation, triggering a chase and counter chase that left 50 people injured. As a result, the whole area turned into a battlefield.

Meanwhile, the authorities have postponed all ongoing examinations of all the departments of the university following the clash.

CU Pro-Vice Chancellor Kamal Uddin said, "Many students who were injured in the attack by locals had scheduled exams today. Considering the situation, all examinations have been postponed."

It may be mentioned that on Saturday, an argument broke out between a female student of the Philosophy Department of CU and a guard of her rented house over opening the gate when she reached there shortly before midnight.

At one stage of the altercation, the guard allegedly assaulted the girl physically.

When other students gathered to protest the incident and tried to detain the guard. a scuffle took place between them and local people.

The injured students claimed that the local people attacked some of them with sharp weapons during the clash.

Around 20 to 30 injured students were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Dr Mohammad Abu Tayyab, the chief medical officer at the CU Medical Centre, said that the centre had provided first aid to at least 60 with injuries after the clashes.

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