Over 60 Rajshahi University (RU) students were injured, including 30 with bullets, as police swung into action while they were agitating on the campus in protest against fee hike and continuation of evening master’s programmes.
The injured were admitted to different local hospitals and clinics, including Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
Witnesses said the students were demonstrating in front of the RU administrative building around 11:30 am demanding that the decisions to hike fees and continue the evening master’s programmes be rescinded.
After a while, police appeared at the spot and asked the agitating students to leave the place.
As the demonstrators refused to go away, the law enforcers fired rubber bullets and lobbed teargas canisters at them, leaving over 50 students injured.
Besides, activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League RU unit allegedly joined the cops during the attacks on the students, said university sources.
Later, around 2 pm, 10 student sustained bullet injuries as police again opened fire and teargas shells on them in front of the university’s library.
Earlier, miscreants blasted crudes bombs at different places on the campus on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
However, no casualty was reported in the blasts.
The students have been demonstrating on the campus since January 16 protesting the authorities’ decision to raise their fees and introduce evening programmes at the university.
The students on Thursday went on a strike for an indefinite period to force the university authorities to meet their demands.
In the face of students’ agitation, the RU authorities on Saturday suspended fee hike.
However, the agitating students pledged to continue their movement until their demand was met.
RU Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Mizanuddin claimed that a chaotic situation has been created on the campus in the name of a movement to confuse the general students.
Source: UNBConnect
