At least 15 people including five journalists were injured as Bangladesh Chhatra League activists allegedly attacked quota reform protesters on Jagannath University (JnU) and Chittagong University campuses yesterday.

At JnU, BCL activists attacked a rally of the Progressive Students Alliance in front of the Liberation War sculpture. They were protesting recent attacks on quota reform activists.

When the university correspondents went there to collect information about the incident, the BCL activists beat them up as well, leaving five of them injured. In all, 12 people including seven students suffered injuries, said protesters and journalists.

Witnesses said three followers of JnU BCL general secretary Joynul Abedin Rasel led the attack along with 15 others. The three are Riaz Mahmud, a student of accounting, Porag Hossain of mathematics, and Nure Alam of history department.

The injured including Latiful Islam and Aslam Ark, JnU correspondents of daily Samakal and Amar Sangbad; Samajtantrik Chhatra Front's JnU unit president Kishor Kumar Sarker, general secretary Golam Rabby, organising secretary Somit Bhowmik, office secretary Animesh Roy; and Bangladesh Chhatra Union's JnU unit president Ruhul Amin and activist Khairul Hasan Jahin took treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Humayun Kabir, secretary of JnU Journalists Association, said they submitted a written complaint to the university authorities demanding punishment for those who attacked the reporters while they were performing professional duties.

JnU Vice Chancellor Prof Mijanur Rahman told The Daily Star that they received the complaint and were looking into the matter.

Asked about the BCL attack, BCL leader Joynul Abedin denied involvement of BCL men in the attack. “It was the 'Amra Muktijoddhar Sontan' supporters, who drove the students out of the campus for making derogatory remarks about freedom fighters,” he claimed.

At CU, BCL men beat up two Chhatra Front activists during a demonstration for quota reform. They also harassed three female students. The injured students are Fazle Rabby, former president of Chhatra Front's CU unit, and Rajeshwar Dasgupta, a student of economics, reports our CU correspondent.

The CU correspondent of online portal jagonews24.com, Abdullah Raqib, was also assaulted during the demonstration at the university Shaheed Minar. BCL activist Azad Hosen attacked Raqib when the latter was taking photos .

Earlier, female students of three halls -- Pritilata, Samsunnahar and Khaleda Zia -- formed a human chain at Shaheed Minar protesting recent attacks on quota reform activists and demanded a gazette notification on quota reform.

Mahabuba Jahan Rumi, resident of Pritilata Hall, also organising secretary of CU unit of Chhatra Union, said police, administration and BCL men tried to foil the human chain.

Meanwhile, Ashraf Khan, a fourth-year student of communication and journalism, was detained during the protest by police, but he was released after two hours.

CU Journalists Association (Cuja) condemned the attack on Raqib and lodged a written complaint with the proctorial office demanding punishment for the BCL men.

Proctor Ali Asgar Chowdhury said they are looking into the compliant.

FEMALE STUDENTS PROTEST AT JU

With general students failing to stage protest amid continuous threats from BCL, some female students of Jahangirnagar University yesterday held a demonstration programme demanding release of quota reform leaders who were captured by law enforcement agency over different allegations, reports our JU correspondent.

The demonstration was led by Sharmin Akter Sathi, joint convener of Sadaran Chhatra Odikar Sangrakhan Parishad of JU unit. Before the rally, they brought out a march from Pritilota hall and paraded streets of the campus. They also demanded a safe campus and punishment for the attackers of quota reform protesters.

Separately, the Progressive Students Alliance of the university brought out a protest procession from Shaheed Minar and submitted a four-point memorandum to Vice Chancellor Professor Farzana Islam at her office.

Their demands include freeing the campus from terror and violence, punishing the attackers of general students and ensuring their safety, and driving out the students staying in the university's halls illegally.