Authorities have imposed Section 144 at Chittagong University (CU) and nearby areas to contain clashes between students and villagers.
Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdullah Al Mumin has confirmed the development. Section 144 prohibits the gathering of four or more people in a single place.
Ahsan Habib Palash, deputy inspector general at the Chattogram range, said clashes were continuing intermittently. Neither side was listening to calls for de-escalation, the police officer said, adding authorities were continuing efforts to resolve the crisis.
Over 100 students and 2 teachers from the CU proctorial team were injured past midnight on Sunday as clashes erupted over a female student’s quarrel with the gatekeeper of a building located near university campus.
At 12:15am, Safia Khatun, a first-year student of philosophy department, went to the building she lives in as a tenant. The building is located near the university’s gate No 2.
As it was past the deadline for closing the front gate, the gatekeeper refused to unlock the entrance despite Safia’s repeated requests. She, however, claimed she reached the gate early "as she always does."
The gatekeeper verbally abused her, and as she responded, pushed her, Safia claimed. As her roommates came down to intervene, the gatekeeper pushed her down and kicked her, she alleged.
He later fled the scene. A group of students pursued him, only to face stiff local resistance. A chase and counter-chase ensued.
Later, both sides called in reinforcements by using microphones at two nearby mosques. As the conflict escalated, the number of injured students climbed.
Around 3:30am, the army brought the situation under control, after police failed to ease tensions.
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