Unrest at Hajee Danesh University
21 sued as VC's residence, other buildings damaged
The residence of the vice chancellor of Hajee Danesh University of Science and Technology lies damaged after students went on rampage Tuesday night in 'protest' against authorities' decision to close the university till July 8. Inset, female students leave their dormitory yesterday following the closure. Photo: STAR
Twenty-one students of Hajee Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) were sued yesterday on charge of damaging public properties at the university. The case followed attack on several buildings including the vice chancellor's residence by agitating students on Tuesday midnight. Proctor Dr SM Harun Ur Rashid filed the case with Dinajpur police station. Of the accused, 14 were identified while the rest seven remained unidentified. The identified students are Devdas Mohanta, Shouvik Sarker, Zahangir Alam Bappi, Sadekuzzaman Sujon, Dehlobi Reza, Rashedul Islam and Hasel Khandaker of agriculture faculty, Nazmul Hasan Adin of CSE (Computer Science and Engineering) faculty, Mahbubuzaman Ovi, ATM Sadequr Rahman, Sabbir Ahmed Shimul, Azit Kumar Das, Shamim Ahmed and Shihabur Awal of AFE (Agro-Food Engineering) faculty. The case mentioned that the accused damaged the public properties with lethal weapons including rods and hockey sticks. Witnesses said the students damaged a number of buildings on the campus on Tuesday midnight, protesting the decision of the authorities to close the university. They also attacked and damaged the residence of vice chancellor (VC) Prof Afzal Hossain and besieged it for seven hours. According to sources, the students have been agitating for the last few days demanding repeal of punishment slapped on 15 students who allegedly instigated clashes on the campus on May 16 and 17, leaving five students injured. An investigation by the university authorities earlier found these students guilty of violating discipline. During an hour-long rampage on Tuesday night, the students also damaged several transport vehicles of the university. As the situation went beyond control, police entered the HSTU campus at around 1:00am and charged batons to disperse the agitators. Later, the students and police locked in a chase and counter-chase, leaving 10 students wounded. Earlier, the agitating students in a letter on Sunday, urged the authorities to reconsider the decision to punish 15 students on different terms including expulsion. As their appeal went unheeded, they held a press conference on Monday at Dinajpur press club and announced tougher programmes to realise their demands. The students started class boycott for an indefinite period from Tuesday morning and decided to stage a hartal today. In face of growing agitation, the HSTU authorities on Tuesday afternoon closed the university until July 8 and asked the students to vacate the halls by evening. At this, the students burst into protest and started gathering in front of the administrative building. They confined about 12 people, including the VC, registrar and a few teachers to their offices at the building. About six hours into the confinement, a police force led by ASP Shanjit Kumar Roy entered the administrative building and freed them at about 12:00 midnight. Later the agitating students spread out in small groups and went on the rampage damaging several buildings including VC's residence on the campus. Early yesterday, police forced the residential students to move out of the halls. The female students left their dormitories in the morning. Meanwhile, police yesterday arrested 12 students from the campus. They are Shahriar Haque, Rafiqul Islam, Prionkar Roy, Tuhin Rahman, Shariful Islam, Rakibul Islam, Fahim Mahfuz, Mahbub Zaman, Mahbubur Rashid, Mohammad Shiblu, Ariful Haque Rana and Ratan Shaha. The arrestees were sent to jail after being produced in court.
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