RU sues over attack on students

Rajshahi University has accused 110 people in two cases, a day after agitating students were attacked on the campus.

Acting Registrar Saad Ahmed filed the cases – one under Explosives Act and the other for anarchy and vandalism on the campus – with the Motihar Police Station.

Sixty people have been implicated in the explosives case and 50 in the other case, said OC Shamsun Noor.

Proctor M Tariqul Hassan told bdnews24.com: “This is a step to bring the campus back to normal.”

Police had on Sunday detained Sajib Ahmed, a student of the Department of Finance and Banking, for vandalism.

Those named by Ahmed also stand to be implicated, said the OC.

Two cars meant for transporting teachers, teachers’ residential buildings and a few academic buildings were also ransacked, said Hassan.

Ayatullah Khomeni, President of the Rajshahi University Chhatra Union and coordinator of the movement, is demanding a roll-back of hiked fees and cancellation of evening courses.

He said, “We are agitating for the general students. A student organisation has attacked us and now we are being sued again. This is the paradox of the university’s ones-sided policy.”

Their movement rolled into a strike and class boycott on Thursday.

The authorities on Saturday announced the withdrawal of the fee hike but stuck to running evening courses.

The students, however, vowed to continue their movement until both their demands were met.

They came under attack apparently by BCL activists and police on Sunday, resulting in over 50 students being injured by tear canisters and rubber bullets.

The authorities called an emergency syndicate meeting and shut down the university for an indefinite period, asking the students to leave campus by 8am on Monday.

The meeting also decided to file cases in connection with Sunday’s violence.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Monday promised action against those involved in the unseemly incident.