What started as an accusation against one student on Thursday afternoon quickly spiraled into a wider assault at Jagannath University.
It began around 4:30 p.m. when Chhatra Dal activists grabbed a fourth-year student, Rafique bin Sadek, claiming he belonged to the banned Chhatra League.
After they reportedly beat him, the situation escalated, leading to the alleged assault of two faculty members and three other student leaders by the same group.
Faculty members intervened, but the situation turned volatile.
“When we stepped in to calm things down, we were shouted at and pushed around,” said Dr AKM Rifat Hasan, Director of Student Welfare. Assistant Proctor Shafiqul Islam also confirmed being physically assaulted.
Shortly after, leaders of Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangsad (GCS) — Md Faisal Murad, Ferdous Hasan, and Faruk — were also attacked.
Murad told reporters that the assault was led by Mahmudul Hasan and Shamsul Arefin from JCD’s university unit. “Non-students under the name of Chhatra Dal are turning the campus into a danger zone. This wasn’t random. It was coordinated,” he said.
Ferdous Hasan added, “Teachers tried to shield us. They didn’t even spare them. The CCTV footage will speak for itself.”
Assistant Proctor Shafiqul Islam said he plans to file a written complaint with the Vice-Chancellor. “I’ve already spoken to the president of the teachers’ association,” he added.
In response to the accusations, Shamsul Arefin from JCD denied wrongdoing. “We heard that Chhatra League members were planning trouble. Some even hinted at it on Facebook. Our people tried to stop them. Things got messy, and now they’re blaming us,” he said.
University Proctor Tazammol Hoque acknowledged the incident and confirmed that the proctorial team responded immediately. “The situation is under control now. We’ve spoken with the teachers’ association, and a full review will follow.”
The university has since formed a five-member investigation committee, led by Professor Md Mosharraf Hossain, to look into the incident.
No timeline has been announced yet for the completion of the investigation.
