DU student dies following BCL factional clash
Dhaka, Feb 3 (UNB)-A Dhaka University student died Wednesday from his fatal injuries suffered during Monday night’s factional fighting between pro-government Chhatra League rivals, triggering violent protests on the campus.
As the news of death of Abu Bakar Siddique, a meritorious 3rd-year student of the department of Islamic History of the university, spread on the campus, angry fellow students ran riot and damaged several vehicles and ransacked proctor’s office.
Police charged baton and fired 15 to 20 teargas shells to disperse the unruly protestors, witnesses said.
Abu Bakar was hit in the head by tear shell during the fierce clash between two rival groups of Bangladesh Chhatra League at Sir AF Rahman Hall of the DU late Monday night over establishing respective supremacy, sources said. Over 20 people were injured, including students, police and a reporter, in the late-night clash.
Bakar had been under treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital since Tuesday morning and succumbed to his injuries about 10:00 am today.
Campus sources said the students of Islamic History gathered in front of the Arts Faculty building hearing about the death of their fellow student.
“They got agitated and, at one stage, marched towards TSC damaging vehicles on the street,” says an eyewitness account of the violent protest.
Additional police rushed in and tried to calm down the agitating students. As the students locked in clash with police, they charged baton and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the unruly protestors.
Later, the students attacked the office of Proctor Dr Saiful Islam at about 10:45 am. The Proctor was wounded in a similar flare-up of clash between two factions of pro-BNP Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal at DU some days back.
Leaders and activists of BCL went to the spot and pacified the agitating students at about 12:00 am. A tense situation was prevailing on the campus.
Late Monday night, the clash ensued at Sir AF Rahman Hall when hall-unit BCL president Saiduzzaman Faruk was trying to board a student in the room of its general secretary Mehdi Hasan Mollah.
