A Correspondent
Rajshahi: A five-member committee has been formed to investigate an attack on journalists carried out
allegedly by activists of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) on the campus.
The university administration is also preparing to file a case with Motihar Police Station over the
incident, said University Proctor Prof Dr Mahbubur Rahman.
On Sunday, 10 people including four journalists were injured in an attack allegedly by some leaders and
activists of JCD in front of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall around 8:30 pm.
Witnesses said JCD leaders and activists came to the hall gate from the university's Transport Market in a
procession allegedly intending to attack the hall students’ union general secretary (GS) Ariful Islam.
They were reportedly carrying locally made weapons, including machetes, cleavers, hockey sticks, pipes
and baseball bats.
When the university proctor arrived at the spot, the JCD activists hid the weapons, witnesses said.
Journalists who approached the area to record video of the situation were then attacked.
Witnesses said a Samakal correspondent was beaten with sticks in the presence of the proctor, while an
attempt was also made to seize the mobile phone of an Ajker Patrika correspondent.
The bdnews24.com correspondent was later allegedly assaulted.
The proctor subsequently took the journalists inside the hall and locked the door for their safety.
When other journalists arrived after hearing about the attack, The Daily Star and Agamir Shomoy
correspondents were beaten. Zahidul Islam suffered a head injury.
Journalists who tried to intervene were also allegedly threatened by the attackers.
The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute over comments made by JCD leader Ahsan Habib on a
Facebook post concerning Rajshahi University Central Students' Union (RUCSU) GS Salahuddin
Ammar.
University Proctor Mahbubur Rahman said, “We failed. It was not possible for us to control the situation.
We called the police, but the police also fled in fear.”
Rajshahi University unit JCD President Sultan Ahmed Rahi said he had informed the central committee
of the incident and that action would be taken against those responsible.
In protest against the attack, journalists staged demonstration demanding that the university
administration file a case against those accused, ensure their arrest, cancel the studentship of students
involved in the attack and revoke the certificates of those who have already completed their studies.
They have also demanded that people accused in the incident who are not university students be barred
from entering the campus.
They later withdrew their program after the university administration assured them that a case would be
filed by Monday.
CCTV footage allegation
Meanwhile, allegations have surfaced that CCTV footage from the site of the attack was deleted after the
incident.
Journalists alleged that important parts of the attack should have been captured by a CCTV camera
installed in front of the hall. However, the footage was later found to be unavailable.
They claimed the footage was deleted to conceal the identities of those involved in the attack and the
actual circumstances of the incident.
Denying the allegation, Hall Provost Mahbubur Rahman said the CCTV connection had been
disconnected because renovation work was ongoing at the time.
