IU closed as BCL factions clash: 5 hurt

After another clash between two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League at the Islamic University, the authorities yesterday declared the university closed four days ahead of the scheduled winter vacation.

The clashes left five people injured.

On Thursday at least 15 leaders and activists of two factions of the pro-Awami League student body were injured after they engaged in fighting on campus.

Campus sources said the factions -- one led by IU BCL unit President Saiful Islam and General Secretary Amit Kumar and the other by Vice-President Mizanur Rahman Mizu -- locked in a clash yesterday.

Both groups had brought out processions on campus around 1:00pm. They chanted slogans terming each other “terrorists” and “extortionists”.

Around 200 activists clashed around 1:30pm.

Witnesses said both groups fired at least six shots.

Officer-in-Charge of IU Police Station Safiqul Islam Choudhury said police, deployed on the campus after Thursday's clash, had chased both groups.

“We fired two shots in the air and two teargas canisters and dispersed the factions,” he said.

Saiful group took cover in Bangabandhu Hall and Mizu group in the humanities faculty area during that time.

The university authority meanwhile in an urgent meeting with the Proctor and other statuary bodies decided to close the university ahead of the winter vacation, scheduled from December 24 to January 3, and vacate the dormitories.

Proctor Mahbubor Rahman said male students had been asked to vacate their dorms by 4:00pm yesterday afternoon and the female ones by 10:00am today.

According to sources on campus, the two factions had been at loggerheads over different issues, including a tender for various construction work on campus which is worth Tk 44 lakh.

BCL unit President Saiful blamed a few Awami League-backed teachers for patronising factional politics on campus.

“My vice-president [Mizu] is creating anarchy on campus bringing outsiders in and threatening contractors for toll from the ongoing bidding,” Saiful claimed.

Mizu blamed his president and secretary for “taking a cut from the recruitment of teachers at different departments”.

IU Vice-Chancellor Prof Abdul Hakim Sarker said the authorities had been forced to close the university having failed to control the infighting between the BCL factions.

“We will sit with the factions …,” he said.