Factional clash at RU: rival BCL groups stage showdowns

Just a day into their clash, two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League unit of Rajshahi University faced off again in front of a hall early today.

On Saturday, a clash took place between the supporters of RU BCL president Mostafizur Rahman Babu and Suhrawardy Hall unit BCL president Niaz Morshed over the use of the hall's guest room.

Around 2:00am today, both factions conducted showdowns using local weapons in front of the Suhrawardy Hall, said eyewitnesses and sources at the university.

The opponent group alleged that Niaz Morshed along with some outsiders entered the hall during the early hours of today.

In response, supporters of the Mostafizur from different halls took positions in front of the Suhrawardy hall. Most of them were seen armed with local weapons, the sources said.

At one point, Niaz Morshed and his followers left the hall premises, according to witnesses.

Talking to reporters, Atiqur Rahman, vice president of the hall and a follower of Mostafizur, said that Niaz entered the hall with about 30-40 outsiders at 1:25am and threatened to kill him. So, the other followers of Mostafizur took positions in front of the hall, he said.

Photo: Collected

Meanwhile, a team of Motihar Police Station went into the hall after the incident and conducted a drive.

Meanwhile, Proctor Ashabul Haque said that after searching rooms of the hall for about 2 hours, nothing but a fragment of a Chinese axe was found.

Various non-resident students in the hall were ordered to leave the hall, he said, adding that this unstable environment of the university will soon be resolved through discussion.

An on-duty police officer said that the university situation is unstable. They have been trying to keep the situation under control and prevent any further untoward incidents.

Our university correspondent could not contact with Niaz for his comment.