BCL blames it on outsiders!
Chhatra League yesterday blamed “outsiders and some expelled BCL men” for the violent clash at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) the previous day that left a BCL activist killed and 20 people injured.
Meanwhile, police rounded up 22 BCL men from different areas in Sylhet city in connection with the clash, and recovered a revolver and 17 machetes from a BCL activist's house near the campus.
All the students left the campus yesterday as the university has been closed indefinitely following the clash.
Vice-chancellor Prof Aminul Haque Bhuiyan said admission tests for honours courses will begin from November 25 as per schedule.
Speaking at a press conference at the Madhu's Canteen of Dhaka University, BCL president HM Badiuzzaman Shohag said, “There was no clash between the Chhatra League factions at Shahjalal university. Some outsiders clashed on the campus on Thursday.”
Sumon Kumar Das, who was killed during the clash, was never involved in BCL politics, claimed Shohag. “He was not even a student of the university. Then why did he go to the campus that day?”
His version of Sumon's identity was contradicted by SUST unit BCL vice president Anjan Roy. Talking to this newspaper yesterday, Anjan said Sumon was an activist of the student body's Sylhet Initernational University (SIU) unit.
Frustration among BCL activists over the formation of its seven-member SUST committee a year ago has led to the infighting, added Anjan.
BCL BRIEFING
Chhatra League president Shohag said a section of the media “intentionally linked the BCL to the clash only to undermine the image of the pro-Awami League student body.”
He blamed the “negligence” of the university authorities and the law enforcers for the clash and casualties.
“Ex-Chhatra League central leader Uttam Kumar instigated the clash. He was expelled over hacking former convener of SUST unit Shamsuzzaman Chowdhury,” mentioned Shohag.
A case was filed against Uttam over the assault, but neither the police nor the university authorities took any action against him, said the BCL chief.
He also complained that an anti-liberation quarter has been active to label everyone involved in fighting as BCL men.
After the formation of SUST BCL committee in May last year, the faction led by its president Sanjibon Chakravarty Partho was driven out of the campus by his rivals led by vice president Anjan Roy and former central committee member Uttam Das.
The committee is yet to name its full body. There had been several clashes between the two BCL factions in the last one and a half years.
Witnesses said around 200 supporters of Sanjibon, mostly outsiders, entered the campus on Thursday and clashed with the other group to reestablish supremacy on the campus.
Akhtar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Jalalabad Police Station, said 250 unidentified people were sued on Thursday over the clash.
Of the 22 arrestees, Sagor and Jiaul Haq were picked up from Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.
Three of the injured, including Anjan, were undergoing treatment at the hospital yesterday.
Our Sylhet correspondent contributed to this report.
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