Chhatra League factions clash

A clash between two factions of the Chhatra League in a hall at Tejgaon's Textile University pastmidnight has left five injured, police said.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 3 May 2015, 04:17 AM
Updated : 3 May 2015, 04:35 AM

A clash between two factions of the Chhatra League in a hall at the Textile University in Dhaka past midnight has left five injured, police said.

The clash started at 1:30 am (Sunday) when two factions of Chhatra League, the student affiliate of ruling Awami League, tried to get students supporting them into the Shahid Aziz Hall of the Textile University.

Police intervened around 3am, said Mohammed Salauddin, OC of Tejgaon Industrial Zone police station. "The situation is under control now, but I can't say anything more."

A turf battle between rival Chhatra  League factions headed by its unit President of Aziz Hall Shahadat Hossain Shishir and General Secretary Najmus Shakib Khan has been on for a while, a fashion design student of the university told bdnews24.com on condition of anonymity.

Tensions rose when both factions tried to take new students of the university's 41st batch under their wings and push them into the Aziz Hall.

Panic spread among students when the two rival factions faced off each other with iron rods, sticks and machetes past midnight.

"The main gate of the Aziz Hall was locked but I somehow managed to come out of it. Then I heard firing, at least 10 to 12 bullets were fired," said the fashion design student.

When called up at 3am, General Secretary Najmus Shakib Khan told bdnews24.com: "Police has intervened. None of the students is seriously injured. The situation is now under control."

He then hung up, saying he was busy.  "The Hall committee is defunct since yesterday, so the Chhatra League is in no way involved with this incident. Shakib's boys attacked us over induction of students into the Hall," President Shahadat Hossain Shishir told bdnews24.com.

There was no official announcement over dissolution of the Hall committee but a facebook post on https://www.facebook.com/BSL.BUTex, purported to be the page of the Textile University Chhatra League unit, had referred to it on Saturday night.

It read, "The Chhatra league committee for Shahid Aziz Hall at Bangladesh Textile University stands temporarily dissolved."

Textile University Proctor Mominul Alam Dalim's comments were not available, as he did not take calls.