The Chhatra League attacked Gona Odhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque and his associates in the Student-Teacher Center (TSC) area of Dhaka University. Nurul Haque was severely beaten several times. Apart from Nurul Haque, more than 20 people’s rights leaders were injured in the attack, according to the group. 10 of the injured persons have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The attack took place on the road in front of TSC at around 4:30 pm on Wednesday. Nurul Haque went to the campus to participate in the protest rally called by the Students’ Rights Council to protest against the attacks on the leaders and workers of the opposition political parties, the damage and harassment of people, and the killing of madrasa student Rezaul and the arrest of BUET students. The program was scheduled to take place in front of TSC’s Raju Bhaskarya at 4 pm.
According to eyewitness accounts and video footage of the incident, Chhatra Odhikar Parishad leaders and activists led by Nurul Haque from the Shahbagh area were entering the campus in a procession. When the procession passed Raju Bhaskarya and reached in front of TSC’s Das Cafeteria, a group of BCL leaders and activists stood in front of the procession with motorcycles. They got down from the motorcycle and started chanting ‘fake, fake’. At one stage they started punching and kicking Nurul Haque and his followers. Unable to bear the beating, Nurul and his followers ran away, and BCL leaders and activists chased them.
Chhatra League leaders beat Nurul under the metro rail in the TSC area. He was punched all over the place. At this time, blood is seen pouring from Nurul’s head. At this stage, a section of BCL leaders and workers tried to stop the other sections. At one point, Nurul and his followers ran towards Doel Chatwar. At this time, a part of BCL leaders and activists stopped but the other part followed Nurul. The leaders and workers of his party removed Nurul from the Doel Chatwar area.
The attackers on the Nuruls are known to be followers of Dhaka University Chhatra League president Mazharul Kabir (Shayan) and general secretary Tanveer Hasan Saikat. The attack was led by the top aspirants of the Chhatra League, the followers of these two leaders
The Chhatra League was on high alert at various points of the campus since noon today after receiving the news of Nurul’s program and Chhatra Dal’s procession. On this day, a human chain program was also called for security from the university administration and the law and order forces, fearing the ‘conspiracy of outsiders to destabilize the campus and destroy the normal environment of education’. Although this program was announced under the banner of ‘Dhaka University students’, the leaders and workers of the Chhatra League were behind it.
When asked about the attack on Nurul, Chhatra League’s Dhaka University branch general secretary Tanveer Hasan told Prothom Alo, “External terrorists are planning to kill the university.” Yesterday Tuesday I saw two screenshots related to this. Students were protesting against it. At this time, Nurul Haque entered the campus with some outsiders. They blocked the students in the streets. Later the students approached them and requested them to leave the road. The students exchanged words with them. At one stage, some extremists who were with Nurul Haque attacked the students.
When asked about Nurul Haque’s physical condition, Shakil Uzzaman, leader of the People’s Rights Council, told Prothom Alo that the bleeding from Nurul Haque’s face has not stopped yet. He suffered multiple injuries on his head. The doctors said that he should have a CT scan. He is currently undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Kakrail. Nurul Haque, a former student of Dhaka University’s English department, led the movement in 2018 demanding quota reform in government jobs. At that time too, he was attacked by the Chhatra League several times.