17 injured in Chhatra League-Shibir clash in Bogra

Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College was yesterday closed for indefinite period following clashes between the activists of the student fronts of Awami League and Jamaat-e-Islami on Friday night that left 17 wounded.

The college authorities also asked the residential students to vacate all the hostels by 5pm after a closed-door meeting of the college administration at noon.

Police and witnesses said when Kollol, an activist of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) mentioned in the comment book that the food served in the dinning-room of the hostel as substandard, dining manager Shaikat, also a Chhatra League (BCL) activist, flew into a rage and beat him up at about 9:30 pm.

In a sequel to the incident, a fierce clash erupted between the ICS and BCL activists at about 10:30 pm that left 17 students injured.

"At one stage, the BCL activists and leaders swooped on the rooms of Shibirites in the hostel, ransacked furniture, window-panes and computers," says a spot account of the nighttime campus rumpus.

Some Islamic books were also allegedly set on fire during the melee.

Later, firefighters doused the fire. The injured students were admitted to the Medical College hospital. Among the injured, seven Shibir activists were later shifted to a private hospital.

Chhatra League brought out protest procession on the campus demanding trial of ICS activists, organised human chain and submitted memorandum to the Principal of the college on Saturday morning.

Chhatra Shibir, on the other hand, blamed BCL for the violence and demanded trial of the BCL activists involved in the incident.

The violence at Bogra Medical College, incidentally, falls in a latest row of campus rioting in different parts of the country