Not sweet November: a bloody month of student violence

the fuse for what was soon to come with the latest wave of student violence had been lit earlier, in late October

TBS report

November 25, 2024, at 20:20

Last modified: November 25, 2024, 20:27

From left: Titumir College students block Mohakhali road on November 18; On November 24, students destroy Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College; and students clashed in Demra on November 25. Photos: collected

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November, usually the time when cold weather begins to descend on Bangladesh, which is just beginning to shed its shroud of heat, was this time marked by something different: relentless waves of student violence.

Throughout the month, the brutality usually associated with the Chhatra League seemed to have infiltrated almost every student.

Elsewhere, there were also protests in the RMG sector and over the ban on battery-powered rickshaws on the streets of Dhaka.

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While these, along with others who had filed complaints, were being dealt with, the students continued, at one point or another.

the fuse for what was soon to come with the latest wave of student violence had been lit earlier, in late October.

Titumir’s nightmare

Amid weeks of blockade by students of seven colleges affiliated to the University of Dhaka, the government announced that a facility exclusively for seven students, with designated officials and registrars, would be set up on the DU premises.

This failed to meet the demand of Titumir’s students for the creation of a separate autonomous university for their institution, leaving them unhappy.

They decided to continue their movement and announced the closure of all types of internal academic activities and examinations in seven colleges.

They also held rallies on campuses for three days, demanding the establishment of an independent university.

On November 18, students of Titumir College arrived in Mohakhali to experience a terrible day.

Their protest caused a complete disruption of road traffic.

To make matters worse, a train was also attacked, leaving many passengers injured.

Rafiq Uddin Raihan, a student of the university’s English department, told TBS: “A committee should be formed. Establishing a university takes a long time. However, if it is formed, the committee will work on it gradually.”

Others agreed that the first step would be to immediately establish a commission on the matter.

The next day, the Ministry of Education announced the formation of a committee to examine the possibility of turning Titumir College into a university. Following the formation of the committee, the students announced the suspension of their protest after the decision to establish the committee was made.

Dhaka College and City College will face each other

Two days after the Titumir College brawl died down, another fuse was lit.

On November 20, students of Dhaka College and City College collided on the Science Lab premises.

Dhaka College students alleged that City College students beat up one of their students who was alone this morning.

In the afternoon, bricks and stones were thrown at the Dhaka college bus.

There were two-hour clashes, as a result of which 15 people were injured.

Witnesses said both groups wielded sticks and iron bars, chased each other and threw brick fragments, causing injuries.

The Dhaka College Teachers’ Council then demanded the removal of City College from the area, claiming that more than 150 students of Dhaka College were injured in the clashes.

Students of Textile Uni and Polytech clash in Tejgaon

Suddenly, on the night of November 24, news began to appear students of Bangladesh Textile University (Butex) and Dhaka University of Technology locked horns in Tejgaon Industrial Area.

Police and witnesses say a fight broke out between students of both educational institutions following a verbal argument.

Rounds of chases and counter-chases soon began and lasted for an hour from 10 p.m.

At one point, the police and army arrived to separate the two groups of students.

About 30 students from both sides were injured in the clash.

Death, followed by devastating attacks

Earlier, on November 24 in the morning, another wave of clashes took place at the National Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Old Dhaka.

Firstly, students of Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College vandalized the hospital over the death of a student, which they believed was due to improper treatment.

The vandalism apparently affected Suhrawardy and Kabi Nazrul colleges.

The very next day (November 25), college students Suhrawardy and Kabi Nazrul attacked Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College.

The entire Jatrabari area stopped. When the dust settled, hundreds of students and teachers were injured.

Police sue 8,000 students

The police filed a case against 8,000 students various colleges, including Dr Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College (DMRC) in the capital, on charges of vandalism and theft of bullet-filled magazines.

AKM Sub-Inspector Hasan Mahmudul Kabir of Dhaka’s Sutrapur Police Station filed the case as the plaintiff yesterday (November 24).

Anupam Das, sub-inspector of the general registration department of the police station, confirmed the matter today