Over 350 students were injured on Monday at Dhaka University and several other universities and colleges in the country as the ruling Awami League鈥檚 student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, attacked students seeking a reform in quotas for government jobs.
The BCL attack came a day after the prime minister Sheikh Hasina came down heavily on those protesting against the quota system in public services.听
A physician at Dhaka Medical College Hospital 226 people took treatment at the hospital until 9:00pm following the attack on protesters, including one with a bullet injury, while 70 others were injured at Jahangirnagar University, 10 at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, 15 at Eden College, and three at Chattogram.
The protests flared on Sunday night following the prime minister鈥檚 remarks at a press conference at her official residence, Ganabhaban, where she blasted quota protesters for opposing quotas for descendants of freedom fighters.
鈥榃hy so much anger against the liberation war and freedom fighters? The grandchildren of the freedom fighters will not get [quota]? So will Razakar鈥簊 grandchildren get it? My question is to the country people,鈥� she said.
Protesters took her comments as an insult and came out of different halls of universities with processions on midnight Sunday, such as 鈥榯umi ke, ami ke, Razakar, Razakar, ke boleche, ke boleche, sorkar, sorkar (the government says you and me are Razakar), referring to the prime minister鈥檚 mention of the collaborating forces of the Pakistani Army during the War of Independence in 1971.
Students turned on their cell phone flashlights and banged utensils, while sporadic incidents of BCL attacks were reported on the night before protesters returned to their respective halls.
Tensions boiled over as students demanded the withdrawal of the prime minister鈥簊 remarks and promised to return to the campus in the afternoon to press home their demand.
As they gathered at the base of the Raju Memorial听 Sculpture on the Dhaka University campus, the first incident of attack was reported from the Bijoy Ekuttur Hall, where students said some people threw bricks targeting them from the roof.
Soon, men wearing hamlets and carrying sticks, rod irons, cricket stumps, hockey sticks, and firearms swooped on the unguarded protesters, triggering a chase and counter-chase.
The attackers did not spare even the female students, many of whom were beaten mercilessly and left injured.
The BCL men also attacked the injured again as they went to DMCH for treatment before the law enforcers finally intervened to take control of the situation around 7:30pm
A student was admitted to DMCH with a bullet injury to his leg, said the hospital鈥檚 causality department assistant professor Arif Hussain.
Some injured students were taken to Dhaka University Hospital and BIRDEM General Hospital for treatment, said Armanul Haq Arman, a student of the university.
Police reached the DU campus several hours later after the protesters were attacked.
DU assistant proctor Liton Kumar Saha declined to comment regarding the attack.
Before the attack was launched, BCL president Saddam Hossain accused the protesters of crossing the line while talking to reporters at Madhu鈥檚 Canteen.
鈥楤angladesh Chhatra League knows how to deal with them politically,鈥� he boasted.
Addressing a press conference in the afternoon in AL president Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 political office in Dhanmondi, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said that BCL was ready to give a fitting reply to quota protesters for their 鈥榓rrogant behaviour.鈥櫶�
The ruling Awami League鈥檚 youth wing, the Juba League, was also allegedly engaged in beating general students in front of the vice-chancellor鈥檚 bungalow.
Ibrahim Nirob, a student of Government Titumir College, alleged that Juba League and BCL activists attacked him and fellow protestors in front of the VC bungalow on the Dhaka University campus.听
BCL men also attacked the quota reform protesters in front of Shahidullah Hall of Dhaka University at about 5:15 pm. Six crude bombs were exploded in the area between 5:40pm and 5.45 pm.
DU BCL president Majharul Kabir Shoyon accused law department professor Asif Nazrul and writer Farhad Mazhar of inciting violence on campus.
Quota protesters announced they would hold rallies and processions in all educational institutions today, urging the general public to join.听
Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the Students Movement Against Discrimination, a platform for the anti-quota movement, announced protest rallies and processions in all educational institutions at 3:00pm today, protesting at the BCL attack on them and pressing for the withdrawal of the prime minister鈥檚 insulting remarks about protesting students besides their one-point demand for quota reform.
He demanded an apology from the PM for her remarks.
鈥楾he cause of our present movement is no longer an issue for students, as an attack was carried out against us in a planned way at the government鈥檚 highest level,鈥� he said.
Talking to reporters on the DU campus, Dhaka Metropolitan Police joint commissioner for operations Biplab Kumar Sarkar said that they would follow the directives of the university administration.
鈥楶olice came here to help the university authorities,鈥� he added.
An emergency meeting of the DU provost committee, chaired by the vice-chancellor, Maksud Kamal, asked the students to stay in their respective halls, adding that no outsiders would be allowed in halls.听
The leaders and activists of the BCL Eden College unit also allegedly launched an attack on quota protesters and the leaders of the left-leaning student organisation Socialist Students Front on Monday.
BCL Eden College unit general secretary Razia Sultana denied the allegation.
鈥榃e crossed the path during our routine procession and we pushed them away,鈥� she said.
Earlier on Sunday, the protesting students gave a memorandum to president Mohammed Shahabuddin while issuing a fresh, 24-hour ultimatum for the government to accept their one-point demand.
The students demanded that 95 per cent of jobs be awarded based on merit and five per cent quotas be reserved for members of ethnic minority communities, children of freedom fighters, and persons with disabilities by enacting a law in parliament.
The BCL JU unit on Monday evening attacked a procession of students protesting against quotas, leaving at least 70 injured.
A coordinator of the movement, Abdur Rashid Jitu, and the acting teacher of the university鈥簊 transport office, Professor Awlad Hossain, were among the injured students following the attack.
Earlier in the morning, BCL carried out an attack on anti-quota protesters in Biswakabi Rabindranath Tagore Hall on the JU campus.
The attack left two protesters and a security official at the university injured.
Hall provost Nazmul Hasan Talukdar announced his resignation amid protests from students following the attack.
At least 10 students of SUST were injured as the campus unit BCL leaders and activists allegedly attacked a procession of students who were protesting against a remark made by the prime minister on early Monday, 抖阴精品 Staff Correspondent in Sylhet reported.
In Chattogram on Sunday night, a group of leaders and activists from Chittagong University鈥簊 BCL attacked protesting students around 11:3 pm.
Three students, including a female, were injured and were admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
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- 226 injured take treatment at DMCH
- Injured include one bullet-hit student
- Students demand apology from PM
- Protesters urge commoners to join movement 听
- Students attacked in DU, JU, Eden, CU, SUST 听
- Rally, procession at edn institution today