50 hurt as KU students clash with transport workers and police

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At least 50 people, including six policemen, were injured as students of Khulna University (KU) clashed with transport workers at Sonadanga bus terminal at Thursday midnight and then with police on Khulna-Satkhira Highway yesterday.

Three KU students injured in the clashes are now undergoing treatment at a local clinic and Khulna Medical College Hospital. They are Manotosh, Asad and Maruf of computer science department of the university.

Following an emergency meeting, the university authorities asked the students to vacate their dormitories by 2:00pm yesterday. The university is scheduled to go on a month-long summer vacation from tomorrow.

Female students vacated their hall by 4:00pm yesterday, but the male students were seen staying at their halls as of filing of this report at 4:30pm.

The trouble began at Sonadanga bus terminal at 11:30pm on Thursday as some staff of Hanif Paribahan refused to allow four students of the university to board the Chittagong-bound bus with luggage.

Campus sources said the students earlier bought tickets for Chittagong from a counter of Hanif Paribahan at the terminal.

Being refused, the students became angry and locked in an altercation with the bus staff. At one stage, some transport workers of the terminal came in aid of the bus staff and beat up the students.

When the news reached the campus, over 100 students from Khan Jahan Ali and Ahsanullah halls, carrying sticks in their hands, rushed to the bus terminal and clashed with transport workers, leaving 15 from both sides injured.

The angry students also damaged four buses and seven shops during the clash. The police charged truncheons on the clashing groups and brought the situation under control.

Around 6:30am yesterday, several hundred students of the university came out of their dormitories and put up barricades on the Khulna-Satkhira road to press home their three-point demands including arrest of three leaders of Motor Sramik Union, removal of the officer-in-charge (OC) of Sonadanga Police Station and apology by the leaders of Motor Sramik Union and employees of Hanif Paribahan.

When police tried to remove the barricades, the students swooped on the law enforcers, pelted them with brickbats and damaged Gallamari police box.

The police fired tear gas shells and charged truncheons to disperse the students. At least 40 people, including six cops, were injured during the clash, police said.

Additional police and Rab personnel have been deployed in the area following the incident.

KU Registrar Prof Mohammod Nazrul Islam lodged an FIR with Sonadanga Police Station at 2:00pm yesterday, accusing Motor Sramik Union leader Zakir Hossain Biplob and the supervisor of Hanif Paribahan of launching attack on the students.

Vice-chancellor (VC) Prof Mohammad Saifuddin Shah yesterday formed a six-member committee to probe Thursday night’s clash between students and transport workers at Sonadanga Bus Terminal.

The committee formed around 6:30pm has been asked to identify those involved in taking the law into their own hands by barricading the Khulna-Satkhira highway early yesterday morning, vandalising vehicles and clashing with members of law enforcement agencies.

Prof Mohammad Harun-ar-Rashid Khan of forestry and wood technology department heads the committee and has been asked to submit the probe report within a week after the university opens on June 15 following summer vacation.

The VC asked the probe committee to submit report with recommendations for actions to be taken.

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