The authorities of Rajshahi Nursing College on Wednesday declared the government educational institution closed for an indefinite period, a day after Bachelor of Science in nursing and diploma in nursing students clashed at the college on Tuesday.
The college authorities pinned a notice on the college鈥檚 noticeboard, instructing the students to vacate the residence halls by 12:00pm on Wednesday.
鈥楢ction will be taken against those who fail to comply with the order,鈥� the notice added.
Motiara Khatun, principal of Rajshahi Nursing College, said that diploma students had been demanding that their qualification be recognised as equivalent to a Bachelor鈥檚 degree while BSc nurses and students had been opposing this.
Motiara Khatun, principal of Rajshahi Nursing College, said that examinations for batches of the college were scheduled to begin on May 16.
鈥楩earing further unrest, we were compelled to close the college for an indefinite period,鈥� she said, adding that academic activities will resume once the situation returned to normal.
According to the college sources, diploma in nursing students had long been staging protests to press home their demand of recognising their qualification as equivalent to a Bachelor鈥檚 degree upon completion of their studies.
The BSc in nursing students, on the other hand, had been protesting against the diploma in nursing students鈥� demand.
Following the issue, the duo groups locked into an altercation on the Rajshahi Nursing College campus that turned into a violent clash, leaving at least 10 from the duo groups injured.
Meanwhile, BSc in nursing students took positions inside the nursing college, protesting against the reported attack on them by diploma in nursing students, and demanding justice.
Zahirul Islam Khan, president of Rajshahi Nursing College Student Welfare Organisation and a fourth-year BSc in nursing student, said that they held a protest march and staged a sit-in on the campus, demanding justice for the attack carried on them by diploma in nursing students.
鈥楢mid our protest, the college principal declared the college closed indefinitely and ordered students to vacate the halls,鈥� Zahirul said, adding, 鈥楾he students, however, have refused to leave and are continuing their protest on the campus.鈥� Zahirul Islam Khan said that if the college authorities failed to take any punitive actions against those involved in attacking BSc students within the next 24 hours, they would go for a tougher programme such as a hunger strike on the college campus.
