Clashes lead to Khulna University closure

Khulna University was closed for an indefinite period yesterday after a group of students confined a photojournalist to a room that led to clashes between police and students.
In a meeting around 1:30am, the university syndicate made the decision with Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohammad Saifuddin Shah in the chair. The syndicate asked residential students to vacate the dormitories by 6:30am yesterday.
Trouble began when 20-25 students of architecture department, mostly loyal of Islami Chhatra Shibir and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, picked up Shahnewaz, staff photographer of Bangla daily Prothom Alo, and confined him to a room in the university's second academic building for about three hours. They also beat him up.
Shahnewaz had gone to the campus to cover a discussion organised by the Prothom Alo Bandhu Sava around 5:00pm Monday.
On information, the VC and other teachers went to the spot around 8:00pm and tried to rescue him. Failing to do so in the face of resistance, they called in law enforcers.
Two platoons of riot police around midnight went to the campus and tried to rescue Shahnewaz. The police attempt triggered the clash. Police charged truncheons and fired around 15 teargas canisters to disperse the students and alleged outsiders.
Police, however, managed to rescue Shahnewaz.
During the clash, students along with alleged outsiders vandalised doors, windowpanes and furniture of a number of rooms in the two academic buildings, the library room and rooms in Khanjahan Ali Hall.
VC Saifuddin Shah told The Daily Star that the incident was "unprecedented" and alleged that some vested quarters were trying to vitiate the existing peaceful academic atmosphere in the university.
Additional police forces were deployed in and around the campus to avert further untoward incidents.
Khulna Press Club, Khulna Union of Journalists (KUJ), Metropolitan Union of Journalists (MUJ) and Khulna unit of Bangladesh Photojournalists' Association (BPJA) will stage a human chain programme today in front of the press club building in protest against kidnap and attack on Shahnewaz.
Meanwhile, police said a number of students attacked four students of the university at Gallamari and Nirala leaving them seriously injured around 7:30am yesterday. The attack was made as the four were leaving the dormitories.