BCL and JCD clash again
BNP claims 100 Chhatra Dal activists injured
Activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) once again clashed on Thursday afternoon near the High Court in Dhaka, two days after BCL activists reportedly beat up JCD men on Dhaka University campus.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir said at least 100 JCD activists were injured in Thursday's clashes.
The confrontation started around noon when some JCD members brought out a procession near the HC.
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First the JCD men chased the BCL activists at Doel Chattar and advanced towards the TSC.
After some time, BCL leaders and activists chased JCD leaders and activists and drove them away from campus.
Many of the BCL men were seen wearing helmets, armed with iron rods and sticks during the clash.
The BCL chased Chhatra Dal around 12:15pm. Disbanded, some of the leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal took shelter inside the National Press Club. Some of them entered the High Court premises while many moved to wherever they could, including Gulistan.
BCL men took position in front of the High Court entrance while JCD activists remained inside. After some time, the BCL activists beat the JCD men inside the HC premises.
A few minutes later, a huge contingent of law enforcement was deployed in the HC area to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, a group of BNP-backed lawyers of the Supreme Court brought out a procession inside the court premises, protesting the beating of the JCD men by BCL activists.
The BCL activists also attacked journalist Abir Ahmed, university correspondent of the Daily Campus, who was live-streaming the clashes.
Abir said BCL men took his mobile phone away during the attack.
The police took a BNP activist in custody when he sought help after being attacked by BCL men while live streaming the clashes to the official page of BNP.
BCL Law Affairs Secretary Fuad Hossain Shahadat told journalists at the scene that the JCD activists were not registered students and were trying to create unrest on campus.
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As such, university students in general united to prevent them from entering the DU campus, he added.
However, JCD DU unit Member Secretary Amanullah countered: "It was our scheduled procession but the BCL men attacked indiscriminately without any provocation. We will continue our protest against the 'attempt to murder' threat levelled by the prime minister at former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
Previously on Tuesday, more than 35 people were injured in clashes between the BCL and JCD in the Central Shaheed Minar area of Dhaka University.
That day, rallying JCD members were heading towards the Dhaka University TSC area around 9:30am when some BCL activists attacked them near the Shaheed Minar.
Police arrested three persons in the clash. Two were JCD activists and one was a bystander.
BNP leaders like Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee visited the injured JCD activists at DMCH Tuesday afternoon.
