A day after the Chhatra League attacked students of Kuet for protesting against bad food served at a feast, the pro-Awami League student body yesterday attacked freshers of Jagannath University who were demonstrating against additional fees for admission. Two cases were filed Monday night against 350 people in connection with the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) incident. One of the cases lists four teachers of the university as accused. In Dhaka yesterday, at least eight students of Jagannath University (JnU) suffered injuries as activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League swooped on a demonstration demanding cancellation of additional fees for admission. The injured were admitted to National Hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital and local clinics, students said. Witnesses said students queued in front of Agrani Bank, Jagannath University Branch, in the morning to pay the admission fees and found that Tk 5,000 extra was being taken as development fees. Around 9:00am, the students began demonstrating there demanding a cancellation of the development fees. The Chhatra League activists then swooped on them, which triggered a clash that lasted until 10:30am. Later, different left-leaning students’ organisations under the banner of Pragotisheel Chhatra Jote joined the demonstration at around 11:00am. Led by Chhatra League leader Saiful Islam Akondo, hundreds of Chhatra League activists attacked the demonstrators again. Chhatra Front President Shariful Chowdhury, General Secretary Masud Rana, Chhatra Union Convener Faruk Ahmed Abir, Chhatra Federation President Tahmida Islam Tania, and students Mehrab Azad, Emrul Hasan and Morshed Khan were among those injured. According to JnU officials, they were charging Tk 14,400, Tk 13,400, Tk 13,000 and Tk 9,200 for admission to A, B, C and D units for the 2011-12 academic year. They said the fees included the Tk 5,000 development fee. Terming the students’ demand illogical, Vice-Chancellor Prof Mesbahuddin Ahmed said the students have to pay the fee for the sake of continuation of various development activities on campus. The VC also criticised the students for holding the demonstration. Police said none was detained and no case was filed in this connection. Meanwhile, two cases were lodged Monday night against around 350 people, including teachers and students, in connection with the daylong violence on the Kuet campus on Monday, reports our Khulna correspondent. Kuet Teachers’ Association yesterday issued an ultimatum to the vice-chancellor of the university that its six-point demand be met by January 8. The demands include expulsion of those involved in Monday’s violence and attack on Kuet Teachers’ Association President Mohammad Arif. SM Zubair Siraj, a student of the electrical engineering department, was the complainant of the first case lodged with Khanjahan Ali Police Station of Khulna City at 11:00pm. He accused 40 people and 200 unidentified people of having been behind the violence. Kuet Teachers’ Association President Mohammad Arif and three other teachers were among the 40 accused in the case, said Sub-Inspector (SI) Shajib Rahman, investigating officer of the case. The complainant of the case is a leader of the Kuet unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the SI said. The second case was lodged around 11:30pm by Sub-Inspector Abdul Hye against 300 unidentified people in connection with attacking on-duty police. Kuet Teachers’ Association held an emergency meeting at its office on the campus yesterday. The meeting demanded the immediate withdrawal of the names of four teachers from the first case and expulsion of the students involved in the attack on Prof Mohammad Arif. The Khulna city unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League in a press statement Monday night accused some teachers and cadres of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir for the violence on the campus. However, Khulna city unit BNP, Chhatra Union, Chhatra Shibir and Samajtantrik Chhatra Front issued press statements yesterday denying their involvement. VC Prof Muhammad Alamgir Hossain in an emergency meeting with all deans, department heads, directors and dormitory provosts decided to form a committee to probe Monday’s violence.
