A glance into deadly unrests in Dhaka's colleges

The students of several colleges in Dhaka, in their pursuit of dominance and proving themselves as the ‘best,’ got embroiled in violent clashes amongst themselves. These skirmishes go beyond the campus, spilling onto the busiest streets of the capital. In the aftermath of these attacks and counterattacks, several students have been injured, and both public and institutional properties have been damaged. Severe traffic jams have paralyzed the city, and vehicles have been vandalized. This report from Views Bangladesh delves into the details of several recent clashes.

Instability at Titumir College

On November 18, students of Titumir College in Mohakhali took to the streets demanding university status for their institution. In their ‘Shutdown Titumir’ program, students boycotted classes and exams indefinitely while blocking roads and railways. As a result, ordinary people and railway passengers were injured. After three days of continuous protests, students suspended their activities after receiving assurances that a committee would be formed to evaluate the feasibility of turning Titumir College into a university.

Subsequently, several other colleges also witnessed student protests, with students agitating for various demands, causing further unrest at educational institutions, which ultimately affected the general public as well.

Dhaka College – City College clash

In recent years, trivial incidents such as sledging, verbal arguments, and insults have escalated into major clashes between the students of Dhaka College, City College, and Ideal College. On November 20, students of Dhaka City College in Dhanmondi began a protest demanding the resignation of the acting principal and vice-principal. The following day, they clashed with students of Dhaka College. The area around Science Lab to New Market turned into a battlefield, and over 200 students from both colleges were injured.

Sources suggest that the principal and vice-principal of Dhaka City College, who had reportedly ‘illegally’ secured their positions, failed to control the students. They are accused of provoking the clash with Dhaka College students.

Following the violence, Dhaka College was closed for one day, and City College was shut for three days.

Later a clash reportedly began after Dhaka College students had attended the 184th anniversary celebrations of their institution and were returning home by bus. When three buses reached Science Lab, students from City College reportedly stopped them and beat up several students. The exact reason behind the incident remains unclear. The situation quickly escalated into a violent clash.

Earlier, on September 10, there was a similar confrontation between the students of Dhaka College and Ideal College in the Science Lab area, which left at least 18 students injured, most of them from Dhaka College.

Vandalism and clashes at three colleges

On November 24, following allegations of medical negligence leading to the death of student Abhijit Howlader, there were violent incidents at National Medical College in Old Dhaka and Suhrawardy College. Students of Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College in Jatrabari had accused doctors of negligence in the death of their peer and demanded a proper investigation and exemplary punishment for the culprits. On the afternoon of November 24, around 35 colleges in the city joined forces to block the entrance to National Medical College and engaged in vandalism.

At the same time, students attacked Suhrawardy College and Kabi Nazrul College, smashing gates and causing extensive damage to vehicles, including microbuses, ambulances, and motorcycles.

Suhrawardy College Principal Dr. Kakali Mukhopadhyay told reporters, “Before we could understand anything, they attacked us.”

Students from Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College accused the Kabi Nazrul College and Suhrawardy College’s student groups of attacking them in retaliation to suppress their protest. As a result, 20 students were severely injured.

Revenge attacks at Mollah College

The following day, on November 25, students from Suhrawardy and Kabi Nazrul College launched a counterattack at Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College. The attackers carried out further vandalism and beat up students mercilessly.

The Principal of Mollah College, Obaidullah Nayan, expressed his shock, stating, “We never expected students would act like this. They have destroyed everything. A group of conspirators is using students for their own interests. If this is not controlled, the country will go in the wrong direction.”

Clashes at BUET and Dhaka Polytechnic

On the night of November 24, a trivial argument led to clashes between students of the Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUET) and Dhaka Polytechnic Institute in Tejgaon. After repeated confrontations, multiple teams of police and the army had to be deployed to bring the situation under control.

Dominance struggles among 35 colleges

An investigation revealed that colleges in the capital are divided into two groups: one led by 35 colleges, and the other by seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University. These groups are the key players in the ongoing instability as they fight for control and influence.

Spread of rumors amid clashes

Between November 24-25, rumors began circulating around Dhaka’s colleges, particularly on social media platforms like Facebook, where provocative posts and fake news about ‘student deaths’ were spread. These rumors further fueled the violence.

Call from the Education Adviser

Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud commented, “It has been said many times that workers and students are protesting, but it’s not just them—many organizations are blocking roads in Dhaka as well. How do we resolve this? I cannot solve it alone.”

He appealed to students, saying, “Bring your legitimate demands to me, and they will be addressed.”