BANGLADESH

Authorities shut Sir Salimullah Medical College indefinitely following a violent factional clash of pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at its main dormitory on Saturday.

After the clash, students have vacated the dormitories by 4pm following the academic council's decision.

"The decision to halt classes was taken in the academic council meeting following tense situations," college principal M A Azhar Uddin told .

"Students have been ordered to leave the halls. But those who are sitting for second year and final year Prof tests can stay in the hall showing their admit cards," he added.

The factional clash between two groups of BCL, which took place in the early hours of Saturday, had left seven students injured while one of them stated to be in critical condition.

Kotwali police station officer in-charge Mohammad Salauddin told reporters, "The violence is the result of an internal clash between two factions of Chhatra League. We have found out that one faction broke through the main gate and attacked the dormitory."

The OC added the pro-Awami League student wing's activists had vandalised 33 rooms of the dormitory during the clash.

A three-strong committee headed by Child Department professor A R M Lutful Kabir has been already formed to investigate into the clash. The other two members of the committee are professor Alamgir Kabir and associate professor A H M Mahbub-ul Maola.

Though, Kotwali police had detained 53 students from the dormitory right after the incident, but later they were freed.

The detainees were freed after signing a bond stating that steps would be taken against them if the investigation committee formed to look into the matter finds them guilty, the OC added.

Following the incident, general students vandalised the Leo Club room on the ground floor of the hospital and staged a human-chain protest locking the main door. The academic council took the decision to vacate the dormitory before the situation worsened.

Meanwhile, students of the college had locked the principal in his room and brought out a series of processions protesting the authority's decision to suspend classes.

"The injured 'Sharif', 'Parvez', 'Ankur', 'Assaduzzaman', 'Rocky' and 'Anupam' are undergoing treatment at the hospital's causality department," head of the hospital's causality department Mahbub Hossain Mehedi said.

"But Angel, one of the injured, was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after his condition deteriorated," he added.