Fresh Raid on Three RU Halls

Shibir leader arrested, cocktail recovered

15 November 2009, 17:00 PM

A RU Correspondent

Police arrested a Shibir leader, seized cocktail, gunpowder like substance and 'some chemicals' during early yesterday's fresh raids on three Rajshahi University (RU) halls. The arrestee is Nawab Abdul Latif Hall unit Shibir President Hasmat Ali alias Liton. Liton was arrested with a cocktail during the raid on Abdul Latif Hall. He was later produced in Rajshahi Metropolitan Magistrate's Court (RMMC) that sent him to jail. Following BCL allegations that Shibir has gathered huge firearms at the halls, the law enforcers raided the halls at around 11:00pm, police said. Campus sources said at around 7:00pm on Saturday, Shibir cadres led by Sanowar and Parvez threatened a BCL activist Murad with death in front of Abdul Latif Hall. Hearing the news, the BCL activists rushed to the spot for retaliation. Following the incident, several hundred Shibir leaders and activists of Sayed Amir Ali Hall and Shah Makhdum (SM) Hall took position in and around Abdul Latif Hall with firearms. At one stage, the BCL leaders and activists left the hall premises. Being informed, the university authorities sought police help and conducted raids on Abdul Latif Hall, Amir Ali Hall and SM Hall. Police recovered the cocktail from Liton's room, which was being used as an office of Shibir men at Abdul Latif Hall. The team also seized 'gunpowder like' substance, and 'some chemicals' from a Shibir controlled room of the hall by breaking open the door. The authorities also picked up Shibir cadre Aslam Ibne Habib, a fourth year student of chemistry department, from the room where the cocktail was kept. He was later released after he gave an undertaking to university Proctor Prof Chowdhury Muhammad Zakaria. Law enforcers also rounded up at least 30 outsiders from Amir Ali Hall and SM Hall but freed them as all of them came for admission to first year honours courses. Police also conducted raids on Shibir-controlled messes in Binotpur area adjacent to the university, sources said. Around 400 police personnel led by the university proctorial body, student adviser and high officials of police, including two deputy commissioners (DC) and four assistant police commissioners (AC), conducted the raids on the halls. RU BCL leaders later alleged that the law enforcers could not recover lost arms held by Shibir cadres as they fled the halls scaling the boundary walls before the raids. RU Proctor Prof Chowdhury Zakaria told reporters, “We shall launch more raids on different halls of the university in case of any tension on the campus.”