Law enforcers are in action as students of Jahangirnagar University block Dhaka-Aricha highway following deaths of two of their fellows in road accident on Friday. — New Age photo
Jahangirnagar University asked students to vacate their halls by 10:00am today while the police detained at least 40 students from vice-chancellors residence as students laid siege to the residence and reportedly vandalised it Saturday evening protesting at attacks on them by police and Chhatra League.
The authority made the decision at an emergency meeting of the syndicate Saturday night.
Ashulia police officer-in-charge Mohshinul Kadir told New Age that 40 students were picked up from the vice-chancellor’s residence.
Ruling Awami League-backed student body Bangladesh Chhatra League university unit president Jewel Rana said that they were asked to leave halls by 10:00am but they would hold a rally on the campus at 11:00am protesting at the ‘attack on the vice-chancellor’s residence.
At least 10 people were injured on Saturday as police and ruling Awami League-backed student body Bangladesh Chhatra League attacked Jahangirnagar University students demonstrating on Dhaka-Aricha highway protesting at the deaths of their two fellow students in traffic accident Friday morning.
Protesting at the attacks, the protesters laid laid siege to the residence of the university vice-chancellor protesting at the attack by Chhatra League activists and a meeting between the students, authorities and police continued there to solve the crisis.
The protests started in the morning but intensified when ruling Awami League-backed student body Bangladesh Chhatra League attacked the protesters repeatedly to foil the protests and finally police used force to disperse the protesters in the afternoon, creating a traffic chaos in the busy highway over a stretch of around two kilometres.
Three students – Ayon, Hafizur Rahman, also a university correspondent of an online portal, and Ariful Islam – were admitted to Enam Medical College Hospital while others were given medication.
University security officer Shudipta Shaheen and police constable Sahjahan Ali were also injured.
The protesting students said that they were peacefully demonstrating for a set of demands including compensations for the students killed and injured on Friday.
They said that the authorities did not allow them to hold a Namaz-e-janaza of the deceased students on the campus on Friday triggering the protests on Saturday.
The students also blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway, demanding adequate number of speed-breakers on the highway in front of the gates of the university.
‘As the students gathered and were placing their demands, Chhattra League started attacking us,’ said JU unit Bangladesh Chhatra Union president Imran Nadim.
Attacked by Chhatra League activists, protesting students set fire to spent tyre on the highway.
At once, vice-chancellor Farzana Islam along with pro-vice-chancellor Abul Hossain and registrar Abu Bakr Siddique rushed to the spot and assured the protesters of meeting their demands.
The protesters, however, wanted immediate action and continued protests until the construction work of a speed breaker began.
Chhatra League activists attacked the protestors again to disperse them, injuring a few, including Abu Sayam of archaeology department, Rakib Ahmed of urban, regional planning department, Mohammed Dider of geography department and JU Cultural Alliance secretary Nazmul Hassan.
The general students then announced that they would continue the blockade until Chhatra League activists were punished for the attacks.
Police charged baton, fired teargas shells and rubber bullets at the protesting students and dispersed them at about 5:30pm.
University unit Chhatra League general secretary SM Abu Sufian Chanchal denied the allegation, claiming that they requested the protesters not to harass public who were travelling through the highway.
Dhaka district additional superintendent of police Ashraful Azim said that they dispersed the students from the highway to smooth traffic in the highway.
Vice-chancellor Farzana Islam said, ‘I was not informed about the police attack on students. I formed a five-member negotiation committee to solve the problem. I don’t know why police took action on the students before negotiation.’
Following the police attack, the protesting students laid siege to the vice-chancellor’s residence on the campus.
On Friday, two student of the university – Nazmul Hasan Rana and Arafat Hossain – were killed in a traffic accident at bus stop on Dhaka-Aricha highway near the campus when they were returning from Tabligh.
The traffic communication on Dhaka-Aricha highway was badly affected and many vehicles were diverted.
Source: New Age
