Two BCL factions exchanged fire at Rajshahi University early today over supremacy on the campus, leaving two BCL activists injured.
At least 15 rounds of bullets were exchanged during the gunfight between the two BCL groups at Suhrawardy Hall and Madar Baksh Hall premises at about 12:15am.
In another development, a student of Government MC College in Sylhet, filed a case against 41 leaders and activists of the ruling party's student front over the torching of a century-old hostel of the college on July 8.
BCL activists Sohel Rana and Emran Hossain were injured in the clash on the RU campus. Sohel was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital with bullet wounds in the head.
One BCL group was led by RU Chhatra League President Ahmed Ali and the other by its General Secretary Abu Hossain Dipu.
On information, police rushed to the campus after 12:30am and brought the situation under control. They were raiding the halls.
CASE AGAINST BCL LEADERS, ACTIVISTS
Resident student Atiqur Rahman Atiq, a third year student of the English department, filed the case with the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court yesterday.
District unit President of Awami League-backed Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Pankaj Purakayastha, MC College BCL President Tajim Uddin, Sylhet Government College BCL President Debangshu Das Mithu and others were made accused in the case on charge of burning the hostel rooms, including his one.
With this, five cases have been filed over the incidents which took place that night.
Taking the case into cognisance yesterday, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Sylhet Abul Quashem ordered the officer-in-charge of Shahporan Police Station to investigate the allegation, and file an FIR, if the allegations are found to be true.
It may be recalled that on the afternoon of July 8, activists of the BCL and Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Islami Chhatra Shibir clashed on the campus, leaving at least 20 people injured. Following the clash, the BCL activists allegedly torched at least 42 rooms of the college hostel, forcing the Shibir men out, eye-witnesses said.
After the BCL activists went out of the campus and began patrolling the adjoining area, they clashed with the Juba League men, which according to the locals was a result of previous enmity. Around 18 people were injured during the incident, locals say.
The next day, the college was declared shut for an indefinite period.
The four other cases were filed by hostel Superintendent Md Bashir Uddin, city Juba League Joint Secretary Asaduzzaman, district BCL Joint Secretary SR Rubel and BCL activist Shawkat Hossain Manik, also a resident of the hostel.
Police, however, have not filed any case over the arson incident.
Two probe committees -- one formed by the district administration and the other by the college authorities -- have been formed to look into the arson attack.
Meanwhile, in a case filed regarding the clash and vandalism outside the college campus, eighteen of the accused, including district AL Sports and Cultural Affairs Secretary Ranjit Sarker and district BCL Joint Secretary SR Rubel obtained interim bail yesterday.
Judge of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court granted the bail.
Court sources said the Juba League's Asaduzzaman, also a businessman at Tilagarh Bazaar, filed the case on July 13 with the Shahporan Police Station against 26 named and 15 to 20 unnamed activists for vandalising his business firm on the night of July 8.
Ward Councillor Azadur Rahman Azad and district BCL president Pankaj Purakayastha were also made accused in the case.
However, Azad claimed that the complainant had no business at Tilagarh and he had filed the case for harassing them due to political rivalry.