BCL faction postpones nonstop CU blockade
The blockade enforced by a faction of Chittagong University unit Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) has postponed for Eid-e-Miladunnabi and Restoration of Democracy Day on January 4 and 5.
Eid-e-Miladunnabi, the day of birth of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), will be observed across the country tomorrow.
The ruling party is set to celebrate January 5 as "Victory Day for Democracy".
The faction called the blockade for an indefinite period to press home its six-point demand over the killing of its activist Taposh Sarker.
Ariful Islam, former organising secretary of BCL confirmed the postponement of their programme to The Daily Star.
Meanwhile, the blockade hampered academic activities at CU today as shuttle train service, the prime mode of transportation for non-resident students, was halted as miscreants cut 12 hosepipes of the shuttle trains last night, Feroz Iftekhar, divisional transportation officer of Chittagong railway, told The Daily Star this morning.
The railway official also alleged that those who called the blockade might be involved with the sabotage.
Meanwhile, classes and examinations were held amid low presence of students today, reports our CU correspondent.
Additional policemen were deployed on the campus to avoid untoward incidents.
The six-point demands include -- withdrawal of “false cases” against the leaders and activists of the faction, arrest of the “real” killers and withdrawal of the officer-in-charge of Hathazari Police Station for dereliction of duty.
The Varsity Express (VEx) group, allegedly backed by the university administration, made the announcement around 9:00pm yesterday.
Anwar Jahid Anik, member of the dissolved CU BCL committee, said they came up with the programme as the university administration failed to meet its demands within the given time.
The faction on December 17 had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the authorities to meet the demands.
Taposh, 20, a first-year student of CU Sanskrit department, was shot dead in a BCL factional clash on the campus on December 14, barely a month after the prime minister warned the CU BCL unit over frequent infighting.
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