At least 150 people were injured in a series of clashes between students of Barisal University (BU) and Government Brojomohun (BM) College over a trivial matter from 12am to 5am Wednesday.
Several buses of the both institutions and administrative building, student dormitories and other establishments were vandalized during the five-hour long clash.
Most of the injured from both sides have been undergoing treatment at Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital. Army personnel have been deployed in and around the BM College to avert any further trouble.
Sources and witnesses said some BM college students went to the house of BU student Tasnuva Chowdhury Joya on Baptist Mission Road in Barishal city on Monday morning as there has been a dispute between her family and a neighbor over a land.
An altercation broke out between Joya and the BM College students over the matter and one at one stage she informed her BU fellows seeking help. The bU students boarding on a bus rushed to the spot and allegedly attacked the college students.
On Tuesday afternoon, students from the both institutions formed counter human chains demanding justice for the injured.
The BM college students started desperately to find the BU students in the city and beat up two of them in Bouttal area around 10pm on Tuesday.
At one stage, the injured took shelter in Bouttal police outpost and informed their fellow students who rushed there in a bus. The BM college students allegedly beat up there BU students there, leaving some 20 injured.
Being informed, over 1000 BU students coming in buses and trucks gathered in Banglabazar area with brickbats, sticks and other objects and then went to the BM College on foot, two kilometers off the spot and carried out massive vandalism on the campus from 1 am to 3 am.
The BU students vandalized the administrative building, three student dormitories, classrooms and other establishments. Though initially the BM students tried to resist but later retreated due to low numbers of the students.
Around 3am, the Army members rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control after one hour efforts. Two army members were reportedly injured in the clash.
Kotwali Model Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Mostafizur Rahman said over 100 people were injured in the series of clashes and 23 of the injured were admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital.
Dr Unmesh Roy, head of BU’s Bangla department, said over 100 students of their university received treatment at the hospital. Now there are 33 people admitted.
Students of BU returned to the campus from the BM College area by 6:30 am.
Besides, Acting Vice-Chancellor Mohsin Uddin received the six students, who got trapped on BM College campus during the clash, she informed.
BM College Principal Aminul Haque said they communicated with acting VC Mohsin who assured them of bearing the cost of renovating the damaged structures on the college campus.
