40 JCD activists injured in BCL attack

At least 40 leaders and activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal were injured in an attack by the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling Awami League-backed student body, at Dhaka University on Tuesday morning.

The leaders of Chhatra Dal, the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed student organisation, were supposed to hold a press conference at Dhaka University Journalists’ Association to explain the comment made by its general secretary Saif Mahmud Jewel on prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s speech.

‘At least 40 leaders and activists, including central leader Rashed Iqbal Khan and Abu Afsan Mohammad Yahya, were seriously injured in the attack,’ said  Chhatra Dal joint secretary Rakibul Islam Rakib.

The injured leaders include vice-president Rashed Iqbal Khan, joint secretary Rakibul Islam Rakib, organising secretary Abu Afsan Mohammad Yahya, DU unit convener Akhter Hossain, joint secretary Anamul Haque, and activists Ezazul Kabir Ruyel, Hasan Al Arif and Member Mansura Alam and Nahiduzzaman Shipon.

The injured leaders took primary treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Islami Bank Central Hospital Kakrail, said DU Chhatra Dal Convener Akhter Hossain.

The incidents of attack took place at Central Shaheed Minar as well as in Teacher-Student Centre area, he said.

‘We were entering the campus through Shaheed Minar area with a peaceful procession. At that time, the leaders and activists of Chhatra League swooped on us with local weapons including hockey sticks, rods, stamps and choppers without any provocation,’ he added.

However, Akhtar Hossain alleged that the university administration had failed to ensure co-existence of all student organisations on the campus.

Two hours later, the two student groups again were locked into a clash near the Doyel Chattar area inside the campus, in which some more activists sustained minor injuries.  The JCD activists were forced to leave the area around 12:00pm after they faced stiff resistance from the BCl activists.

At one stage, some BCL activists beat up two JCD activists -- Minhazul Abedin Nannu and Al-Amin Bablu -- after throwing them into a drain of Shahidullah Hall.

JCD leaders alleged that male BCL activists also attacked female members of the JCD with local weapons. 

Denying the allegation of attack, Dhaka University unit Chhatra League general secretary Saddam Hussain said that they did not attack the Chhatra Dal.

‘The Chhatra Dal cadres carried out the attack on us with local weapons,’ he claimed, adding that when Chhatra Dal tried to enter the campus along with non-students, the university students peacefully resisted them,’ he added.

Besides, addressing a press conference, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanded immediate arrest of Chhatra League activists who carried out the attack on the Chhatra Dal activists on the DU campus.  

In several statements, Bangladesh Student Federation and Bangladesh Students’ Union demanded justice and bring the attackers to book.

Meanwhile, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday brushed aside the BNP’s allegation that the government was behind Tuesday’s attack on the JCD.

‘These are political tactics, many people spread such propaganda. There is no truth in it,’ he said while responding to a question from a reporter at the secretariat.

The home minister’s comment was sought on BNP secretary general’s remark that the government carried out a planned attack on the JCD in the Central Shaheed Minar area.

Following the incident, BCL activists took position on the DU campus to prevent possible entry of the JCD leaders.

Earlier on Sunday night, BCL leaders and activists launched attack on the JCD activists at TSC where JCD DU unit convening committee member Mansura Akhter and JCD Zahurul Haque Hall unit activist Atique Morshed were seriously injured.

About the allegation of the JCD that the DU administration had failed to ensure co-existence of all student organisations on the campus, DU proctor Professor AKM Golam Rabbani said, ‘we are highly concerned over maintaining a peaceful environment of study on the campus. We are trying to find out who is trying to destroy such congenial atmosphere on the campus.’

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/171393/40-jcd-activists-injured-in-bcl-attack