I'm a vandal. Arrest me.

“I'm a demonstrator. Arrest me.”  “I'm a vandal. Arrest me.”

These were the writings on placards hung on the fences surrounding the Raju Memorial Sculpture on the Dhaka University campus.

The night was cold and dark but that could not diminish the determination of some of the students who sat at the base of the sculpture on Thursday protesting filing of a case with Shahbagh Police Station against 50 of their fellows by the university authorities.

The students took position there around 2:00am. As of yesterday, they were still there demanding withdrawal of the case and resignation of the DU proctor who, according to them, took steps against the protesting students instead of taking action against the BCL activists.

On Monday, around 400 BCL activists foiled the demonstration of a section of DU students who were staging a sit-in in front of the vice chancellor's office, demanding withdrawal of DU affiliation with seven colleges in the capital.

The BCL activists allegedly harassed some of the female students and took one of the coordinators of the protest inside the VC office and assaulted him.

On Wednesday, demanding punishment for the BCL men, around 100 students broke the collapsible gate of the Arts Building and demonstrated in front of the proctor's office.

They also confined the proctor for several hours as he failed to give them any assurance. The students later went to the VC and gave him an ultimatum to meet their demands including forming a probe body to investigate the incident.

But in a surprise move, on Thursday night, the university authorities filed a case against 50 unknown students for vandalising the gate of the Arts Building and formed a three-member probe body to investigate the incident.

They also formed another three-member committee to investigate the allegation of harassment by the BCL men. However, they did not include any student representative as per the demand of protesting students, said the students.

But, on Wednesday, the VC assured them of forming a probe body with student representatives, they added.

One of the students, Rajib Kumar Das of political science, said, “I also demonstrated and took part in the vandalism that day… Arrest me.”

Meanwhile, agitating students yesterday evening under the banner of “Students against Repression” brought out a torch procession from the Teacher-Student Centre, demanding withdrawal of the case and resignation of the proctor for “his inability to punish the BCL men”.

Despite several attempts, the proctor could not be contacted over the phone for his comments.