From Sunday night, Dhaka University witnessed a series of violent clashes between general students and the student wing of the ruling party, Chhatra League. The confrontations included multiple attacks, chases, the use of firearms, and repeated explosions of homemade bombs, resulting in nearly 300 students being injured. Not even female students were spared from the assaults carried out by the Chhatra League, which involved outsiders as well.
Despite the day-long violence, the university administration took no steps to intervene. As evening fell, police were deployed to the heated campus to restore order. Alongside Dhaka University, other campuses across the country also reported attacks by Chhatra League on general students, leading to numerous injuries.
Students seeking medical attention at Dhaka Medical College were also attacked in the emergency department. Chhatra League leaders, including their president Saddam Hossain, general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, and Dhaka University leaders, were seen leading the assaults.
In protest against these attacks, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement called for nationwide protests at 3 PM. During a student demonstration at Raju Sculpture, news broke of students confined by the Chhatra League at Bijoy Ekattor Hall, sparking further clashes and vandalism. The conflict spread to surrounding halls, with students facing resistance from Chhatra League members.
As the violence escalated, students retreated from various university locations, with many finding shelter in BRTC buses, only to be assaulted there as well. Despite the presence of police, no action was taken to stop the violence. Chhatra League members, armed with sticks, rods, and pipes, continued their attacks, including on female students.
By nightfall, thousands of students from various halls gathered, protesting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's comments. They demanded her retraction and legislative reforms on the quota system. The situation intensified with more attacks from the Chhatra League and ongoing clashes at multiple university locations.
An emergency meeting of the university's provost committee resulted in five decisions to restore peace, including removing outsiders from halls and ensuring student safety. However, the students remained defiant, continuing their protests and rejecting the administration's requests to return to their halls.
The violent clashes, both on-campus and at Dhaka Medical College, left nearly 300 students injured, 12 of whom were hospitalised. Protests erupted at private universities in the capital, leading to traffic disruptions.
Nationwide, quota reform protesters announced further demonstrations in response to the attacks and the Prime Minister's remarks, vowing to escalate their movement if their demands were not met.
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