Tanim Murder: BCL calls strike in 2 Sylhet colleges
Activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League yesterday called an indefinite strike at Murari Chand (MC) College and Sylhet Government College protesting the murder of its activist Tanim Khan.
They also blocked Sylhet-Tamabil highway in the city's Tilagarh area for over an hour in the morning.
Police detained four BCL men in connection with the murder. They are Joynal Abedin Diamond, Ruhel Ahmed, Jakir Ahmed and Syed Abid Ahmed. Diamond is the former forest and environment secretary of Sylhet district unit BCL, a pro-Awami League student body.
The four are supporters of Azadur Rahman Azad, education secretary of Sylhet Metropolitan unit AL and also councillor of ward-20 of Sylhet City Corporation, said Akhter Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shahporan Police Station.
Tanim, a final-year student of BA (pass) of Sylhet Government College, was killed allegedly by his rival group on Sunday night at Tilagarh.
He was a supporter of Sylhet district unit AL's Youth and Sports Secretary Ranjit Sarkar's group, the police official said.
His body was handed over to his family after autopsy at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital yesterday, the OC added.
Sanjoy Chowdhury, former joint secretary of Sylhet district unit BCL, and a member of Ranjit group, said the strike would be in force until police arrested the killers.
Following the strike, all classes and midterm exams in both the colleges were suspended yesterday as students could not enter their colleges.
This correspondent found that the BCL activists had locked the gates of the colleges and taken up position in front of them.
After an hour of the Sylhet-Tamabil highway blockade, police removed the protesters from the highway around noon. The blockade created gridlocks on Shibganj and Eidgah roads.
Nitai Chandra Chanda, principal of MC College, said a midterm exam of the college scheduled to be held yesterday was suspended following the BCL strike and classes could not be held as students could not enter the college.
OC Akhter said additional law enforcers had been deployed at the two colleges and in Tilagarh area to fend off further untoward incidents.
The supporters of Azad stabbed Tanim to death following a clash that happened between Ranjit, whose supporter was Tanim, and Azad groups on Thursday, claimed Tanim's friends and other members of Ranjit group.
This correspondent could not reach Azad as his mobile phone was switched off.
On Thursday, the two groups were locked in a clash in MC College area on the occasion of 70th founding anniversary of BCL, leaving four injured.
Over the years, Tilagarh has become a hotbed of BCL infightings as the two groups are trying to take control of the MC College and Sylhet Government College.
Since 2010, three BCL activists, including Tanim, have been killed in Tilagarh area and at least 50 factional clashes have taken place there.
On October 16 last year, BCL activist Omar Ahmed Miyad was killed by his rivals.
Following the killing, the BCL central committee dissolved its Sylhet district unit.
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