BCL founding anniv marred by factional clashes

The 68th founding anniversary of country’s historical student organisation, Bangladesh Chhatra League, on Monday was marred by a number of factional clashes in different cities, leaving at least 30 activists injured.
The party insiders said that factional clashes erupted in Chittagong, Sylhet and Thakurgaon, among others, over establishing supremacy while in many areas, including Khagrachhari, the factions of ruling party backed student organisation celebrated the day separately.
In effect of the celebration, Dhaka witnessed huge traffic congestion on the busy hours. City dwellers faced immense traffic deadlocks because of the celebration.
BCL leaders and activists brought out a rally from Dhaka University campus in the morning that paraded city roads.
At a rally in Dhaka, the road transport and bridges minister, Obaidul Quader, also a former BCL president, called upon his fellow politicians to be ‘disciplined.’
He also urged the BCL leaders and activities to be united.
Obaidul alleged that Bangladesh Nationalist Party has destroyed the democracy instead of protecting it.
On January 4, 1948, BCL was started its journey as a student organisation at the instruction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
New Age correspondent in Chittagong reported that at least 10 activists were injured in a factional clash at Central Shaheed Minar in the port city on Monday.
Jashim Uddin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said the clash ensued following an altercation between some BCL activists of Government City College and Omar Goni MES College when both were placing floral wreaths at Shaheed Minar to mark the day.
Sylhet correspondent added the BCL activists vandalised at least 12 business establishments during a factional clash, which left at least 10 activists injured.
Witnesses said leaders and activists of the district BCL unit led by its president Shahriar Alam Samad brought out a procession from Chowhatta area around 1:30pm while a factional group activists, who failed to secure positions in the district unit committee, led by Shamim Ahmad brought out a separate procession from Madhu Shaheed in the city to celebrate the organisation’s founding anniversary.

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