Clashes Between Teachers and Students, Vice-Chancellor and Proctor Held Hostage

At Rajshahi University (RU), tensions flared over the quota system issue. The incident occurred around 4 PM on Saturday at the balcony of the Juberi Building on campus. During this time, a clash broke out between students and university officials, including the Vice Vice-Chancellor and the Proctor. Later, the students held them hostage. As of 5:30 PM, the students were still holding the Vice Vice-Chancellor and several teachers captive while continuing their protest.

Several individuals, including Salahuddin Ammar, former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and Al Shahriar Shuvo, general secretary of the Branch Student Rights Council, were injured during the clashes.

Earlier in the day, students locked the residence of the two Vice Vice-Chancellors. Unable to enter, Professor Main Uddin Khan (Vice Vice-Chancellor) and Professor Mahbubur Rahman (Proctor) left. When they moved toward the Juberi Building, the students followed them, chanting slogans.

At the balcony of the Juberi Building, a teacher and a printing press official tried to stop the students, which led to the clash. The students surrounded Vice Vice-Chancellor Main Uddin Khan, who then moved to the second floor of the building, where the students also trapped him on the balcony. Several teachers, including Professor Kamal Uddin from the Department of Persian Language and Literature and Registrar Professor Iftikharul Alam Masud, arrived at the scene.

Attempts to contact the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Saleh Hasan Nakeeb, were unsuccessful as he did not answer his phone.

Regarding the situation, Proctor Professor Mahbubur Rahman said, “The students were protesting. At one point, they blocked the Vice Vice-Chancellor’s car, so he decided to walk home. The students did not allow him to leave. He wanted to go to the Juberi Building for discussions, but students stood in front of him, and a clash broke out. I don’t know who started it or how.”