Ctg University BCL faction suspends blockade

An indefinite blockade called by a faction of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Chittagong University unit has been put in abeyance until Monday.

The blockade programme of the VX group, which started on Saturday morning, was suspended at noon in view of Eid-e-Miladinnabi and its founding anniversary.

Informing this, a leader of the faction and publicity secretary of the now defunct committee of the Chhatra League Jalal Ahmed, said “Our blockade will continue from Tuesday if the administrations do not meet our six-point demand.”

The BCL faction is demanding the release of students arrested over a suspected murder during a factional feud.

The university's proctor Siraj-ud-Daulah said disruption of the shuttle train service had led to a drop in attendance.

But the campus was peaceful. Class and examinations were being held in different departments, he said.

The city's Sholoshahar rail station master AKM Farhaduzzaman said someone had cut hose pipes and tool box pipes of different bogies either at night or early in the morning to disrupt the train service.

But no pro-blockade activists were seen at the station, said Sholoshahar Police Outpost Sub-Inspector Arab Ali.

On Dec 14, a clash erupted between rival BCL factions during the Martyred Intellectuals Day celebrations.
Second-year Sanskrit department student Tapash Sarkar, who was standing on the porch of Shah Amanat Hall, was hit by a bullet. Five others were also injured in that incident.

CFC claimed Sarkar was one of them. The VX activists were driven out from the campus following the incident.

The VX unit submiited a six-point demand to the university authorities seeking the release of those arrested over the killing and withdrawal of cases filed over it. They had called for a blockade from Dec 21.

It was already postponed twice before they called for a continuous blockade from Saturday.