The New Nation - Internet Edition

Members of Madrasah Students' Rights Preservation
Committee demanding withdrawal of restriction on Madrasah
students to get admitted in eight departments of Dhaka
University yesterday. NN photo

Riot police swing into action to break up students'
rally demanding reduction of price of Dhaka University
admission forms on the campus yesterday. NN photo

DU Correspondent

At least 25 students of Dhaka University (DU) were injured on the first day of admission forms distribution yesterday, as police charged batons on agitating students for the first time after the August violence in 2007 in line with the directive of the university's vice-chancellor to crack down on demonstration.

Of the injured, Sohan Sobhan, Biplob Mandol, Sohel Rana, Mumtahina, Shikha and Rahat Ahmed of Progressive Students' Alliance (PSA) and Habibur Rahman, Mujahidul Islam, Farhad, Shamimul Islam, Umar Faruk and Al-Mamun of Madrasah Students' Rights Preservation Committee (MSRPC) were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and DU medical centre in critical condition.

MSRPC convener Md moniruzzaman said police swooped on them when they were entering the TSC premises in a procession to stop sale of first-year honours admission forms demanding withdrawal of restrictions on madrasah students to get admitted to eight departments of DU.

Mita of Chhatra Union alleged that police beat up their activists without any provocation when they rushed to the same place in another demonstration demanding a decrease of Tk 50 on each admission form from Tk 300.

On-duty police officer Suruzzaman told reporters that they charged batons on the agitating students, as police was asked by the university authorities to help the bank authorities sell admission forms without any hindrance.

Earlier, DU Vice-Chancellor SMA Faiz on Saturday directed the law enforcing agencies to assist the bank authorities by hook or by crook so that they could sell admission forms uninterruptedly.

However, the bank authorities, the Janata Bank branch in particular, couldn't sell admission forms for long, as sporadic clashes took place between police and the agitating students till the noon.

Admission seekers, who came to the campus to collect admission forms, had to suffer a lot, as they had to wait in the long queues for long due to the clashes.