Shibir cadres held with cocktails, other weapons

Arrested Shibir cadres Arifur Rahman and Sajjat Hossain. A RU Correspondent

Police arrested two Shibir cadres, seized cocktails, Chinese axe, iron rods and pipes during raids on three Rajshahi University (RU) halls early yesterday.

The arrestees are Shibir cadre Arifur Rahman, a second year student of management department, and Sajjat Hossain, a second year student of mathematics department of the university.

Arif was arrested with a Chinese axe while Sajjat with two cocktails during raid on Mother Bux Hall, police said. The two were produced in a court that sent them to jail.

The law enforcers raided the hall at around 1:00am fearing a clash between Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) as a tense situation was prevailing on the campus following an election to the farewell committee of Mother Bux Hall.

Campus sources said the hall authorities held the election on Wednesday in which BCL nominated candidate Kazi Shahnewaz Tukon was elected convener of the committee. Shibir rejected the election results alleging irregularities.

At around 12:30am, several hundred Shibir leaders and activists equipped with firearms took position in and around the hall and were staging demonstration demanding cancellation of the election results, sources said.

Being informed, the university authorities sought help from police who reached the campus at around 1:00am and conducted raids at Mother Bux Hall, Suhrawardy Hall and Ziaur Rahman Hall.

They recovered cocktails, iron rods and pipes and a Chinese axe from the dormitories and picked up at lest 20 outsider Shibir activists. The law enforcers later released the outsiders.

RU BCL leaders alleged that Shibir cadres along with outsiders were trying to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere on the campus over the election issue.

RU Proctor Prof Chowdhury Zakaria told newsmen that they along with police raided the halls as outsider Shibir cadres were staying in the hall. Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the outsiders fled the halls scaling boundary walls, he added.

Mother Bux Hall Provost Prof Belayet Hossain Halder said we sought police help as armed outsider Shibir cadres took position inside the hall. Police have been deployed on the campus.