Dhaka University VC says the attack on his residence was an attempt to murder

Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman said the late night attack on his residence is not connected to the quota reform protests, but was an attempt to murder him.

The masked attackers were trained and came to kill him, according to the Dhaka University vice chancellor.

The attack on the vice chancellor’s home occurred between 1:30am and 2am on Monday after overnight clashes between protesters and police on the DU campus began Sunday evening.

The two-storey building had its windows broken and its furniture vandalised. CCTV cameras were broken and even the bathrooms and the kitchen were ransacked.

Two of the four vehicles parked at the building were set on fire and the other two were vandalised. Several motorcycles parked in front of the building were also set on fire.

Prof Md Aktaruzzaman spoke to the media on Monday morning at his office and described the incident.

“Those who came to my home were masked. They came to kill me. They came to create instability in the country.”

He claimed many ‘evil factions’ were involved in the attack and carried out the planned vandalism in an attempt to oust the government.

Asked whether a case would be filed over the incident, VC said, “The government has laws. The government will, of course, take action according to the laws.”

According to eyewitnesses, some of the hundreds of protesters who had taken to the Shahbagh intersection to call for reforms to the civil service quota system were involved in the attack. Several of them attempted to light a fire in front of the VC’s home.