BCL infighting closes Barisal BM College hostel

Kobi Jibanananda Hostel, popularly known as Hindu hostel, of Barisal Government Brojo Mohun College was closed indefinitely yesterday afternoon following clashes between two groups of Bangladesh Chhatra League over grabbing of hostel seats and strengthening dominance.

At least six students were injured and three rooms ransacked in the clashes that occurred on Monday night and yesterday afternoon. Two of the injured were admitted to Barisal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital with bruises and cuts.

Prof Fazlul Huq, principal of the college, said one hundred residential students of the hostel were asked to leave by yesterday evening.

The college authorities formed a three-member probe body headed by Prof Himangshu Shekhar Biswas with Prof Ranjit Mallik and Golam Morshed and asked it to submit a report within next three working days, the principal said.

Students said the activists of rival BCL factions of the college led by Atikullah Munim, district BCL vice president, and Anik Serniabad, an ex-member of the college unit BCL committee, now dissolved, clashed twice with iron rods and sticks.

Anik, now in Dhaka, denied involvement of his followers, while Munim was not available for comments.

Witnesses said the first clash broke out at 9:30pm on Monday and the second one around 3:00pm the next day over occupying the seats of room no. 20 of the hostel and strengthening their control over the campus.

Sabuj Roy, student of botany, and Jahar Mandal, Jiben, Tarun, Suman Haldar and Moni Shankar, students of philosophy, were injured, and the last two were admitted to SBMCH.

Room no. 2, 7 and 26 were ransacked during the clashes, said witnesses.

Shakhwat Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said police were deployed in the campus area.