Ruet closed after hartal violence:Daily Star

Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders and activists carrying machetes and iron pipes in the presence of police roam on the campus of the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology yesterday with so much ease that it seemed the law enforcers were escorting them. The pro-ruling party student body flexed its muscle after armed Islami Chhatra Shibir men gathered in front of a hall demanding release
of their two leaders, who were arrested for trying to stop a pre-scheduled seminar to enforce Jamaat-e-Islami's countrywide hartal against the upholding of the war crimes conviction of party leader Delwar Hossain Sayeede by the Supreme Court. Photo: Courtesy The Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet) was declared closed last night indefinitely from Saturday, after a series of violence ensuing Islami Chhatra Shibir's efforts to enforce Jamaat-e-Islami's countrywide hartal against the conviction of its leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee. All resident students were asked to vacate the dormitories by 10:00am today. Police arrested 11 Shibir leaders and activists at Ruet for creating anarchy on the campus. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Chhatra League activists of the university stabbed a Shibir man in the presence of cops at Shaheed Lt Selim Hall. The injured, Rakib Hossain, was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital with three or four stabs in the left thigh. The BCL men also assaulted a photojournalist, Azhar Uddin of the Bangla daily Shokaler Khabor, while he was taking photos of the stabbing, and snatched his camera, but returned it later. The arrested Shibir men include Ahmed Yasir, general secretary, and Mamunur Rashid Mamun, organising secretary, of Ruet unit of Shibir. The rest are activists. Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Motihar Police Station, said the two leaders were arrested when they led 10-15 Shibir men to stop a pre-scheduled seminar of the civil engineering department on the campus around 11:00am to enforce hartal. Advertisement In protest of the arrests, over 50 Shibir men gathered in front of Selim hall, which is reportedly dominated by the Jamaat-backed student body, carrying iron rods, sticks, and knives, cleavers and machetes. Motihar police then rushed there along with BCL Ruet unit president Raisul Islam Rose and general secretary Touhidur Rahman Himel and 20-25 activists. In a one and a half hours' raid, police rounded up nine Shibir activists. In the meantime, some BCL men stabbed the Shibir activist, Rakib, before police stopped them. Following the arrests, over 300 armed Shibir activists marched towards Selim hall to attack BCL men and exploded 10-12 crude bombs there. This led to a clash between the Shibir men and police, which fired at least 150 rounds of rubber bullets and tear gas, leaving 12 Shibir activists injured, said police.