A group of protesting students at Rajshahi University stormed several rooms at Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall and recovered sharp weapons this morning.
They vandalised rooms reportedly occupied by members of RU BCL and recovered around a dozen sharp weapons from rooms 207 and 208.
Witnesses reported that around 11:00am, the students entered the hall and proceeded to vandalise these rooms, throwing away belongings and recovering five machetes.
Later, around noon, the students carried these weapons to the university’s administrative building and demanded a politics-free campus from the administration.
Student advisor Jahangir Alam Saud said, “We want to provide our students with a safe campus. Therefore, the authorities have temporarily closed the dormitories along with the university.”
Regarding the weapons, he added, “A university is no place to store such items. We will hand them over to the police.”
The agitating students chanted slogans calling for the withdrawal of the university closure notice as they gathered in front of the administrative building.
In a major escalation of violence yesterday, at least six people, including three students, were killed and several hundred injured in clashes between quota protesters and Chhatra League activists and police across the country.
Students and job seekers have been waging a movement for reform of the quota system for government jobs for the last two weeks.
On Sunday night, alongside demonstrating for quota reform, they protested what they termed as a “disparaging remark” by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her press conference earlier in the day at the Gono Bhaban.
Violence between students and Chhatra League has been escalating since.
The High Court on June 5 declared illegal a 2018 government circular that abolished quotas in government jobs, and on July 10 the Supreme Court issued a status quo on the High Court judgement.
Daily star