BCL blocks road in Rajshahi

21 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi

Activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) yesterday barricaded Dhaka-Rajshahi highway for one and a half hours protesting Shibir activities under the nose of police at Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet). Several hundred BCL activists from Ruet, Rajshahi University (RU) and city units sat down on the highway in front of Ruet at Auktroy crossing halting vehicular traffic, witnesses said. They demanded removal of officer-in-charge (OC) of Motihar police station alleging that Shibir was carrying out its activities with his blessing despite ban on politics on campus. The agitating BCL men withdrew the barricade at around 2:30pm after police held a meeting with Ruet authorities and assured BCL leaders that they (police) will not allow any political activities at Ruet. Earlier, the Ruet students welfare adviser Ashraful Alam had a scuffle with the OC as the latter ignored his request for stopping Shibir politics on the campus. As political activities are banned on all Rajshahi campuses, both BCL and Shibir activists gathered at Ruet main gate for welcoming the admission seekers at around 12:30pm. At one stage, the Shibir men started chanting slogans and distributing leaflets among the admission seekers inside the campus while BCL activists were doing it outside the gate, said Al Amin, a Ruet BCL leader. “As the Shibir men entered the campus, we drew the attention of police and later complained to the students' adviser”, said Amin. Adviser Ashraful Alam, witnessing the matter, asked police to take appropriate action, he said. But police, instead of taking any action, locked in altercation and scuffle with Alam, witnesses said. Ruet Shibir president Golam Arif claimed they began chanting slogan after the BCL men started it. Contacted, OC Tofazzal Hossain blamed the Ruet students' adviser 'for siding with' BCL protesters. "We did not go for action against the Shibir men for the sake of peace on campus. If he (Alam) had not uttered any provocative words, no untoward incident would have occurred,” the OC said.