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At least 300 people, including the pro-vice-chancellor (administration) and the proctor of the University of Chittagong, were injured in a series of clashes between students of the university and local villagers following the reported harassment of a female student on Saturday night.

The violence, which erupted near the university’s Gate No-2 area, forced the university administration to suspend all academic activities and the local authorities to impose Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure restricting public gathering across the adjoining Fatehpur union from Sunday afternoon until midnight Monday.

The first spell of violence broke out shortly after midnight on Saturday when students and residents of nearby Jobra village clashed. The fighting subsided in the early hours, but resumed around 12:00 noon Sunday, leading to running battles that left one hundred more injured.

Muhammad Tipu Sultan, a doctor on duty at the CU Medical Hospital, said, ‘We were overwhelmed. More than 300 students were injured in the incidents. Many of the wounded had to be transported in university vehicles to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital, where doctors provided them emergency care.

By the afternoon, the entire Gate No-2 area turned into a battlefield, with both sides reportedly armed with sharp, locally made weapons.

On Saturday noon, a notification signed by Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer and executive magistrate Muhammad Abdullah Al Mumin said that after clashes erupted around 11:30am on Sunday between CU students and locals near Gate-2, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 was imposed from 2:00pm Sunday to midnight Monday.

The section bans all gatherings, rallies, processions, and the carrying of weapons or explosives, and also prohibits the assembly of more than five people in the restricted area.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters on the campus at about 1:00 pm Sunday, injured pro-VC (administration) Professor Md Kamal Uddin alleged that timely support from law-enforcement was lacking.

He said, ‘I am comparatively fine, but many of my students are injured. Attackers are assaulting students with machetes and a pro-VC, a proctor and teachers  have also been assaulted. We cannot accommodate the wounded in the CU medical centre; three vehicles have carried students to the CMCH. Four to five hundred of my students have been injured.’

He further said, ‘Banned Chhatra League cadres in helmets are carrying out the attacks. We spoke to the army General Officer Commanding, to the home affairs adviser, to the Chief Adviser’s Office. Two hours have passed and still nobody has come. We cannot rescue our students.’

Meanwhile, Law enforcement, including the army and Rapid Action Battalion, moved into the campus area around 4:00pm, four hours after fresh clashes began.

Police superintendent of Chattogram district Saiful Islam Santu said, ‘Police have been present since Saturday night and have tried their best to control the situation, but the numbers on both sides were huge compared to the police deployment, which is why some may not have noticed our presence.’

At least 78 students received treatment at the Chattogram Medical College Hospital, according to CMCH police outpost in-charge Nurul Alam Ashek.

He confirmed that Nayem Rahman, a student of Islamic Studies (session 2022–23), was admitted to the ICU with severe head and body injuries.

Quoting the on-duty doctor, he said, most others were out of danger. While the mildly injured were released after primary treatment, the seriously wounded were admitted to various wards. On Saturday night alone, 30 students received treatment.

A total of 144 injured received treatment at different hospitals in Chattogram -- 77 at the CMCH, 43 at private Parkview Hospital, and 24 at National Hospital, according to the Chattogram civil surgeon’s office. Islamic Studies department student Nayemul Islam, who was critically injured, has been shifted to the National Hospital ICU from the CMCH .

Civil Surgeon Dr Jahangir Alam said, ‘Among the injured, three are in a very critical condition -- two with head injuries and one with a vascular injury. ICU patient Nayemul Islam is being prepared for transfer to Dhaka for advanced treatment, while surgery is being carried out on the two others with head injuries.’

Meanwhile, the CU unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal demanded the resignation of the university administration for failing to ensure students’ safety.

At a press conference on the campus Sunday evening, Chhatra Dal leaders, led by general secretary Abdullah Al Noman, placed a three-point demand: ensure arrest and exemplary punishment of those involved in the attack, resignation of the CU administration with a formal apology to students, and guaranteed safety for students in the future.

The violence reportedly stemmed from an incident late Saturday night when a first-year female philosophy student, who lives in a rented room near CU’s Gate-2 bazar area, was allegedly harassed and assaulted by a building guard while returning home.

After she called a friend, students gathered at the spot, triggering tensions with local residents.

Local people reportedly mobilised through mosque mikes, while students also responded to calls from the Suhrawardy Hall mosque, leading to a confrontation. The first clashes broke out around 12:15am on early Sunday and left at least 60 students injured.

Education ministry’s Secondary and Higher Education Division additional secretary (university) Md Mahbubul Hoque Patwary said, ‘We are in constant contact with the university administration and local administration as well to resolve the problems.’

During the clashes, several journalists came under attack while doing their professional duties amid the CU students and local clashes.

Victims include Desh TV’s reporter Md Nazim, Deepto TV’s reporter Latifa Ansari Runa, ATN News reporter Munirul Islam Parvez, video journalist Hasanullah, RTV video journalist Emu, Deepto TV video journalist Saimon Al Murad, Somoy TV’s Nur Atik, Independent TV video journalist Pial Ghosh, Ekhon TV video journalist Parvez, and The Daily Star reporter Sifayet Ullah Sifat, among others.

The Chattogram Television Reporters Network in a statement strongly condemned the attacks. Convener Hossain Ziad and joint convenor A K Azad said, ‘When journalists were working in public interest, such criminal attacks amounted to a direct assault on press freedom.’

They demanded immediate identification and exemplary punishment of the attackers, adding that ensuring the safety of journalists was a collective responsibility of the state and society.

Jahangirnagar University students on Sunday formed a human chain on the campus protesting the local residents’ attack on CU students and the administration’s alleged silence over the incident, JU Correspondent reported.

The demonstrators condemned what they termed a ‘shameful assault’ on CU students and criticised the law enforcement agencies and the university authorities for failing to ensure safety on the campus.