Mollah College returns to calm after clashes with Kabi Nazrul, Suhrawardy

Classes and exams at Kabi Nazrul and Suhrawardy Colleges have been suspended on Tuesday

Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College has returned to normal after nearly two hours of clashes between its students and those from Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College and Kabi Nazrul Government College.

The violence, which occurred at 12pm on Monday, left over 100 students injured, with many being taken to hospitals, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Dhaka National Medical College.

Ashraf Samir, the managing director of Mollah College, claimed that three students from his institution had been killed during the incident.

“The attack was part of a conspiracy by certain students, backed by the banned student group Chhatra League, to destabilise educational institutions. Most of the attackers were not students, but individuals involved in criminal activities,” he said in a statement.

However, police have not confirmed any deaths from the incident.

Police and army personnel took control of Mollah College and its surrounding areas, with six platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh, or BGB, deployed to maintain order.

A siege programme was announced on Sunday following the death of Mollah College student Abhijit Howlader at Dhaka National Medical College. The programme, dubbed “Super Sunday”, resulted in widespread vandalism at Dhaka National Medical and Suhrawardy College nearby by students of Mollah College and other colleges.

Students at Nazrul College were sitting for their first-year undergraduate exams at the Suhrawardy College centre. The exam was suspended partway through for security reasons amid the unrest.

In protest of the attacks and looting, students at Suhrawardy College and Nazrul College announced a “Mega Monday” protest programme.

As part of the programme, students from different departments of Suhrawardy College began gathering in small processions at the campus in the morning. Later, they marched towards Mollah College near Demra Road, joining with students from Kabi Nazrul College.

There were conflicting accounts of the confrontation.

Mollah College student Ratul Sarkar told bdnews24.com, “They had announced it on Facebook — everyone knew about it. When the attack happened, we called the police on 999, but they arrived much later.”

He said the army arrived after 2:30pm, adding: "There were only a few policemen initially. They moved away at the start of the attack. If the army and police had arrived earlier, no damage would have occurred."

The glass on the front side of a 10-storey building, which was standing along the main road, was shattered during the attack. The majority of rooms in the three buildings at the back were also damaged, with benches, ceiling fans, CCTV cameras, chairs, and tables being destroyed. Among the damaged buildings were the principal's office, laboratory, and labs.

On behalf of Mollah College students, Sakib Howlader, a student from Sanarpar Rowshon Ara College, located 4 km away, spoke to bdnews24.com

He said, "We have a Facebook group for college students. It was announced there last night that an attack would take place at the college [on Monday]."

Describing the incident, Sakib said: "In the first wave of the attack, we were outnumbered. They were hundreds, even thousands.

"Police had left. Later, we, along with residents, fought back and they retreated. There were also outsiders [non-students] with them," he added.

However, Suhrawardy College student Tuhin, who gave a single name, told bdnews24.com: "[On Sunday], under the leadership of Mollah College, several colleges from Dhaka united and carried out attacks and vandalism at Kabi Nazrul and Suhrawardy Colleges. As a result, Suhrawardy College suffered significant damage. We had given the authorities time until 10am [on Monday] to resolve the issue, but no action was taken, so we were forced to march.”

He added, "Some of our students chased them and went up to the second floor of Mollah College, where they trapped many of our students and carried out a brutal rampage inside the room."

Md Fahim, another student from Suhrawardy College, said: “We went to demand justice, but the Mollah College students were waiting for us, prepared to attack.”

Mollah College student Abdul Hai Sikder told bdnews24.com, "The attackers were many, and some of them had their ID cards around their necks, while others didn’t. They came and attacked, destroying our college. They left nothing intact and threw everything down from the top of the building."

Around 4:15pm, the army made an announcement via loudspeakers, requesting pedestrians and locals to leave the area. During this time, small vehicles were seen moving, following the army vehicles.

Md Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Media Wing, said: “Sufficient personnel were deployed in the areas of Sutrapur and Demra from 7am to manage the situation. Despite efforts to control the situation peacefully, unruly students managed to break through police barriers and advanced towards Mollah College, where the clashes took place.”

He added, “There were chases, counter-chases, and clashes between the students of Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul College, and Mollah College, resulting in injuries to about 25 students. Many have spread rumours on social media about two fatalities, but these reports are completely false."

CLASS, EXAM SUSPENDED AT KABI NAZRUL, SUHRAWARDY

Classes and exams at Suhrawardy College and Kabi Nazrul College in Old Dhaka were suspended on Tuesday following clashes and attacks at Mollah College in Jatrabari.

Suhrawardy College Principal Prof Kakoli Mukhopadhyay confirmed the closure to bdnews24.com, saying, "The college will remain closed, and Dhaka University has informed us that the honours final exams have been postponed."

Criticising the law-enforcing agencies, Prof Kakoli said: "Unfortunately, no law-enforcing agencies were deployed at my campus from [Sunday] to [Monday]. I am now heading to Jatrabari, where my students are stranded. I need to rescue them, but the law-enforcing agencies are not allowing me to go inside due to security concerns."

Kabi Nazrul College also announced the suspension of classes on its official website, citing "unavoidable circumstances" for the closure on Tuesday.