BCL attacks protests in girls’ hostel in Rajshahi College

Leaders and activists of Chhatra League, the ruling Awami League-backed student organisation, on Wednesday night attacked a rally of the female students inside a hostel in Rajshahi College.

Witnesses said that about 9:00pm, residents of Ramatunnessa Hostel went on demonstrations demanding that the decision on seat rent increase should be revoked.

Soon after, the college principal and vice-principal, along with some Chhatra League leaders and activists, reached the place asked the students to call off their protests.

But the students continued rallying to push for their demands and confined the principal, Ali Reza Abdul Mohammod Mazid, the vice-principal, Habibur Rahman, and Rajshahi city unit Chhatra League president, Shafikuzzaman.

Chhatra League men later attacked the rally, dispersed the students and forced them to go inside the rooms.

In protest at the attack, Rajshahi College students on Thursday morning formed a human chain and went on demonstrations at the main college gate.

The protesters in the human chain that continued for an hour demanded exemplary punishment of the attackers.

They said that the college unit Chhatra League president Rocky Kumar Ghosh and former convener Abdul Wahed Khan Tito during the agitation the night before tried to abuse female students and the students ran away for shelter.

Speakers at the rally also said that they were paying Tk 3,000 for an academic year but now the authorities are charging them the same amount for each calendar year.

They said that if the authorities increased the seat rent, the students would need to pay Tk 6,000 to Tk 9,000 more

to complete their edu-

cation because of the session jam.

Speakers at the human chain demanded that the decision on seat rent increase should be cancelled. They threatened to announce a tough movement, otherwise.

The principal told New Age that the demand of general students would be considered. He also said that they went to the hostel with BCL men to discuss the matter.

The city unit Chhatra League president told New Age that as they are leaders of students' organisation, it was their duty to sand by the students and that is why they had gone to the hostel.

Source : New Age