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Rajshahi University has issued a warning following an attack on journalists and students on its campus, but journalists have criticised the administration for not naming those allegedly involved.
The university issued a press release on Monday morning describing the incident as “provocative statements and disorder” by some students.
It warned that such activities would not be tolerated and that administrative action would be taken against those responsible.
Journalists working on the campus criticised the statement as inadequate, saying it failed to identify the alleged attackers. The criticism came amid growing demands for an independent investigation and action against those responsible.
Meanwhile, journalists went to the office of the provost of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall on Monday morning seeking CCTV footage of the incident. After the hall administration reportedly declined to provide the footage, the journalists removed the CCTV hard drive from the provost’s office, saying they wanted to prevent the evidence from being altered or destroyed.
They said the hard drive was taken solely to help identify those involved and would be handed over to the appropriate authorities after the footage was secured.
Separately, the central committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) formed a two-member committee to investigate allegations surrounding the attack. The committee, comprising central vice-presidents ABM Ejazul Kabir Ruel and Manjurul Alam Riad, was asked to submit a written report within 24 hours.
The attack took place around 8:30pm on Sunday in front of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall. At least 10 people, including four journalists, were injured, according to reports. The injured journalists included Nur Ahsan Mridul of The Daily Star, Zahidul Islam of Agamir Shomoy, Arifuzzaman Korban of bdnews24.com and Mainul Islam Raju of Samakal.
Witnesses alleged that several university JCD leaders and activists were directly involved in the attack. They reportedly carried machetes, hockey sticks, pipes and bats. The university administration has said it will file a case over the incident, while journalists have demanded the arrest of those involved and cancellation of their studentship.
