CU student shot dead

A Chhatra League activist was shot dead in a factional fight at Chittagong University yesterday, barely a month after the prime minister warned the organisation over frequent infighting on the campus.

Taposh Paul, 20, a first-year student of CU Sanskrit department, was hit by a bullet in the chest, police said. He died at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

The clash also left four students injured -- Alamin Rimon of fourth year and postgraduate students SM Alauddin, Md Rezaul Haque Rubel and SM Fahim. None of them, however, was bullet-hit.  

Over the years, political clashes and factional feuds at the university killed many, seriously hampering academic atmosphere, and drawing the ire of Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina recently.  

Establishing domination on the campus, different dormitories and the university's shuttle train was the reason behind most of the fights.

After one such turf war, the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) high-command dissolved its CU committee on June 10.

Last month, Chittagong city AL President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury along with other AL leaders sat with the BCL groups of CU at his residence to bring an end to the long-standing feuds.

Yesterday's incident proved the effort went in vain.

According to campus sources, activists of a BCL faction known as Choose Friends with Care (CFC) were returning after placing wreaths at Shahid Buddhijibi Chottor marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day around 11:30pm.

In front of Shah Amanat Hall, some BCL men belonging to Varsity Express (VEx) group, allegedly backed by the administration, hurled abuse and threw brick chips at the CFC activists, triggering the clash.

The CFC group, at one stage, took shelter inside the dormitory but kept retaliating by throwing stones.

Ashrafuzzaman, Rubel Dey and Sharid Shovo of VEx group, started firing at CFC men who were standing on different floors of the hall, witnesses said.

Taposh, also a student of the dormitory, was standing on the second-floor balcony when he was shot in the chest, said a student residing in his adjacent room.

Taposh, an active member of CFC group, collapsed instantly on the balcony, he said, adding police and proctorial body of the university were silent onlookers when the armed BCL men started firing.

Taposh along with four other injured was taken to Chittagong University health centre. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where he breathed his last around noon. 

The body was sent to his village home in Sunamganj later in the day.

SM Alauddin, who was chopped during the clash, demanded fair investigation into the incident, exemplary punishment of the culprits and resignation of the VC and the proctor. 

Later, police raided Shah Jalal and Shah Amanat halls and picked up 35 students for interrogation.

They recovered one shotgun, five cartridge and 30 lethal weapons from different rooms of Shah Jalal Hall and two sacks of stones from Shah Amanat Hall, said Md Shahidullah, additional superintendent of police of Chittagong (North). 

VEx led by former general secretary of CU unit BCL Ershad Hossain, and CFC led by former vice-president Amit Kumar Basu have been at loggerhead over establishing supremacy on the campus, BCL insiders said.

The university authorities have formed a five-member committee to probe the incident.

Contacted, the proctor denied the allegation of backing VEx group and said, “It's not possible for us to keep vigil at all the halls to see what Chhatra League is doing.”