Violence-torn JU closed till Aug 25

Jahangirnagar University has been closed till August 25 following the violence on campus brewed over police firing on the students Wednesday night.

The decision was taken at an emergency syndicate meeting of the university Thursday afternoon, Abu Bakar Siddique, registrar of the university, told The Daily Star.

The authorities also asked the male students to vacate their dormitories by 6:00pm today and female students by 9:00am Friday.

A probe body led by Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Farhad Hossain was formed to investigate into the violence that resulted in the closure.

The probe body was asked to submit its report within 21 days.

Earlier on Wednesday night, six students of the university were injured when police fired rubber bullets on them while they were trying to foil an arrest attempt of one of their fellows by the law enforcers.

Protesting the police attack, the students blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway since 12:05am Thursday, reports our JU correspondent.

They put barricades in front of the gate No.1, 2 and 3 of the university, halting transport movement on the highway creating a 12-km traffic jam on both sides.

The students however withdrew the blockade around 3:45pm after the authorities asked the students to vacate their dormitories.

A chase and counter-chase also took place between the law enforcers and students at noon when police trying to use water canon to disperse the agitating students from the highway.

Academic activities at the university remained suspended on Thursday following the agitation.

The JU authorities have postponed dean election at four faculties scheduled to be held today, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Farhad Hossain told The Daily Star.

The violence erupted on the university campus when some unruly youths stabbed Towhidul Islam Likhon, an activist of president-secretary group of Bangladesh Chhatra League, a faction of JU BCL unit, near the dairy gate around 10:30pm Wednesday.

Likhon, a student of economics department and a resident of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, was rushed to the university’s medical centre from where he was shifted to Enam Medical College and Hospital at Savar.

Protesting the attack, general students brought out processions on the campus around 11:00pm, demanding punishment of the attackers.

After few moments, police entered Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall of the university and tried to arrest Nahid, a third year student of anthropology department, on charge of attacking Likhon.

Police shot blank fire when other students resisted them from arresting Nahid.

At one stage of altercation, police shot rubber bullets on the students, injuring six of them, students claimed.

The law enforcers left the scene immediately with empty hands in face of student protest.

Among the bullet-hit students, five – Rakib of pharmacy department, Bashir of statistics, Maruf of information technology, Robin of mathematics and Nahid of finance and banking department— were rushed to Enam Medical College Hospital. They however were discharged from the hospital later.

After the firing, students took to the streets soon after the midnight and put barricades on the highway, demanding resignation of the provost and proctorial body and punitive action against the responsible police personnel.

They claimed that police entered the campus as per the instruction of the university authorities.

On information, the VC rushed to the spot and tried in vain to quell the agitating students.

The students also vandalised a vehicle carrying proctorial body when they reached the spot to settle the matter.

Around 6:00am Thursday, Proctor Tapan Kumar Saha, Pro-VC Farhad and Treasurer Nasirudddin talked to the students but they refused to withdraw the barricades.

Contacted, Mohammad Asaduzzaman, officer-in-charge of Savar Police Station, said they went to arrest Nahid as a complaint was lodged against him on charge of attacking BCL man Likhon.

“We were compelled to open fire in face of student protest,” the OC said.

The general students claimed that people, who killed JU student Zubair Ahmed in January, might have made the attack on Likhon as he along with the other students formed a human chain on the campus on Wednesday demanding punishment of the Zubair’s killers.

Source: The Daily Star