BCL men 'seize' three buses

At least 13 activists of Jahangirnagar University (JU) Chhatra League were held by police yesterday allegedly for seizing three buses of Hanif Enterprise Ltd on Dhaka-Aricha Highway and trying to extort money from the staff.   
JU BCL sources, however, said some BCL activists led by deputy sports secretary of the student body Abdur Rahim Jewel stopped the highway buses around 4:30pm to demand compensation for a Hanif bus striking a private car of Jewel's relative on Dhaka-Rangpur Highway in Sirajganj district the day before.  
Meanwhile, the party unit issued a press release declaring suspension of Jewel. Further action will be taken upon investigation, according to the statement signed by JU BCL office secretary Shohidul Islam Saif.  
After obstructing the buses, BCL members confined the staff to the guest room of Mir Mosharrof Hossain Hall of the university, witnesses said. Passengers were on the buses at the time.    
Informed of the incident by Salahuddin, president of the Bus-Truck Owners Association, Savar and Ashulia police along with the Savar upazila nirbahi (executive) officer reached the spot within 15-20 minutes, freed the staff of the buses and held the 13 BCL men.
Two of the buses immediately set off for their destinations. Police also baton-charged BCL activists when they tried to commit violence at the hall gate, according to witnesses.
Over 300 additional police have been deployed there to control any unwanted situation, said Kazi Ashraful Azim, additional superintendent of police (crime) of Dhaka district (north).  
Eight of the detainees are Jewel of the journalism and media studies department, Talha of mathematics, Tanvir of botany, Ismail and Javed Sojol of economics, Robiul of urban and regional planning and Muhit and Mehedi of statistics departments.
Five others could not be identified immediately.
“Preparation to file a case under the speedy tribunal act is going on against the BCL men,” said Mostofa Kamal, officer-in-charge of Savar Police Station.
JU Proctor Prof Tapan Kumar Saha said the university authorities, police, bus owners and students had held a meeting, in which they reached an understanding that if the hall students gave an undertaking to refrain from such acts, the detainees would be