At least 35 people were injured during clashes among the students of three colleges in the capital’s Demra-Jatrabari area on Monday.
Witnesses said that the clashes erupted around noon when several hundred students of Kabi Nazrul Government College and Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College attacked the students of Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College.
They also looted valuables and vandalised the college building.
The fighting took place among the students in front of Mollah College and quickly spread to adjacent areas.
The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for treatment.
Wari Zone assistant commissioner Saiful Islam said, "A number of people were injured in the clashes. We are trying our best to bring the situation under control."
To ease tension, six platoons of BGB members were sent to the spot in the afternoon.
Earlier, the students of Mollah College staged protests on Sunday, claiming that their classmate Abhijit Halder died due to "wrong treatment," which triggered unrest, according to UNB report.
Abhijit, an HSC student of Dr Mahbubur Rahman Molla College in Demra, was admitted to Dhaka National Medical College Hospital on November 16 after he contracted dengue. He died in the hospital on November 18.
After Abhijit's death, Mollah College students protested outside the hospital on November 21 where they came under attack by the students of Suhrawardy and Kabi Nazrul colleges. The next day, thousands of students from multiple colleges gathered outside the hospital again, protesting Abhijit’s death and previous attack.
Then protests spread to Kabi Nazrul College where students attempted to break in but failed. On
Sunday, the students of Molla College held a “Super Sunday” demonstration, which turned violent.
Clashes erupted when protesters faced off with Suhrawardy College students, creating panic as first-year exams were underway. Several vehicles, including motorcycles, cars, and an ambulance, were vandalised on Suhrawardy College ground on Sunday.
As tension mounted, students from Suhrawardy and Nazrul College announced a “Mega Monday” protest in response to the attacks. The protest began with separate marches from various departments at Suhrawardy College, which later converged at the campus area. The demonstrators then marched towards Nazrul College.
When Nazrul College’s principal tried to calm the situation using a megaphone, his plea was ignored. The students continued their march toward Mollah College in Jatrabari, where violence intensified. Videos on social media showed students being brutally beaten, while glass and other structures outside Mollah College were shattered.
In a separate incident, St. Gregory School and College in Old Dhaka was attacked on Sunday evening, allegedly by students from Suhrawardy College.
The attack, which occurred around 6 pm, left the college badly damaged. Witnesses reported broken windows, overturned furniture, and even fire set on the second floor.
St Gregory’s officials condemned the attack, stating that a group of 30-35 people, claiming to be students from outside the institution, carried out the violence.
They also reported that two security guards were severely beaten during the assault and later hospitalised.
The situation remains tense as the authorities investigate the incidents, but many questions remain about who exactly is behind chaos. Many claimed that Chhatra Dal activists fuelled violence.
Meanwhile, DMRC Principal Obaidullah Nayan tearfully reported significant damage to the college, estimating a loss of Tk 60-70 crore. During a media briefing in the evening, Nayan described extensive destruction, including the shattering of every window in the 12-story building and the destruction of five lifts, science labs, computers, and equipment. The attackers also looted cash, important documents, student certificates, over 300 fans, and around 30 laptops.
DMP clarifies: 25 injured, no deaths in Demra clash
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has clarified that no students were killed in the clashes at Demra on Monday. According to DMP Deputy Police Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman, 25 students were injured, but rumours of two fatalities circulating on social media are false. He urged the public to refrain from spreading disinformation.
Earlier, DMRC Managing Director Ashraf Samir had claimed that three students from Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College (DMRC) died in the clashes, but the DMP's statement refused that.
