10 hurt in clash with cops
Several hundred students of North South University (NSU) staged daylong demonstrations on and around its campus at Gulshan in the city to protest an increase in tuition fees.
They also vandalised the office of the vice chancellor and other offices on the campus, leading to clashes with the police, which left at least 10 people, including three policemen, injured.
The agitating students also put up barricades on the roads in front of the campus for over eight hours in two phases, disrupting traffic movement.
During the clashes, police used teargas and baton-charged the students to bring the situation under control.
Witnesses said the students started their protests around 10:00am and put up barricades on the Kemal Ataturk Avenue for about four hours. Later, they also blocked the road in front of the campus.
The students again gathered around 5:00pm and laid siege to the VC's office. Later, they went berserk and vandalised the VC's office and other offices.
To disperse the agitating students, the police hurled teargas canisters and resorted to baton-charge, prompting the students to hurl pieces of bricks to the police.
AKM Hafiz Akter, deputy commissioner of Gulshan zone, told The Daily Star, "We resorted to baton-charge and used teargas to disperse the students who went berserk and put up barricades on the roads, causing suffering to the people."
He also said three policemen were injured as the students also attacked them.
Several students alleged that the university authorities often raise various fees without consulting the students.
Wasim Bari, a student, said the students first wanted to meet the VC, but he avoided talking to them, which made the students angry.
In February, when the students had started agitation against the tuition fee hike, the authorities had assured them of not raising the fees. But the announcement of fee hike came again this month, said another student.
Students started demonstration when they saw the notice of fee hike in the morning. The authorities increased the fee from Tk 3,000 to Tk 8,000 per semester, they said.
Meanwhile, NSU Deputy Director (Public Relations) M Iqbal Husain in a press release said that a small group of students aided by the outsiders took part in the agitation.
Comments