CU-bound shuttle trains couldn't ply

Students of Chittagong University waiting around their shuttle train yesterday after criminals cut the high air pressure pipes of the train's brakes. The photos were taken at the Shalashahar Railway Station. Photo: Star

Hours before a faction of Bangladesh Chhatra League enforced a blockade on Chittagong University campus, miscreants cut 12 high air pressure pipes for the shuttle trains' brake, disrupting the communication and putting students in trouble.

The suspension of the shuttle train service, the prime mode of transport for non-resident students, and the blockade had led to a low presence of students on the campus and hampered academic activities.

The BCL faction, however, postponed the blockade around yesterday noon for January 4 and 5 on the occasion of Eid-e-Miladunnabi, the day of birth and demise of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), and the first anniversary of January 5 parliamentary polls.

Criminals cut the high air pressure pipes of the train's brakes. Photo: Star

“We are lagging behind due to such kind of political problems,” said Mehedi Hasan Nobel, a student of Accounting Department.

“Due to low presence of students, our pre-scheduled examinations were not held yesterday,” he added.

However, CU Proctor Prof Siraj-ud-Doula claimed that classes and examinations were held in different departments despite the low presence.

Except for two departments, examinations were held in other departments as plying of vehicles and teachers' buses were normal, he added.

Firoz Iftekhar, Chittagong divisional transport officer of Bangladesh Railway (BR-East Zone), said 12 hose pipes of different bogies were cut either at night or early in the morning at Sholoshahar Railway Station in the city.

The railway official also alleged that those who called the blockade might be involved in the incident.

Anwar Jahid Anik, executive member of the dissolved CU BCL committee, denied the allegation and claimed that miscreants had done this.

Earlier in the morning, the BCL faction enforced the non-stop blockade to press home its six-point demand, including trial of the “real” killers of its activist Taposh Sarker through proper investigation, withdrawal of “false cases” against the leaders and activists of the faction and removal of the officer-in-charge of Hathazari Police Station for “negligence of duty”.

The Varsity Express (VX) group, said to be backed by the university administration, made the announcement of the blockade on Friday night.

Taposh, 20, a first-year student of CU Sanskrit department, was shot dead in a BCL factional clash on the campus on December 14, barely a month after the prime minister warned the CU BCL unit over frequent infighting.