The authorities of Chittagong Government City College have suspended all classes and scheduled exams for the day following clashes between Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Chhatra Shibir.
The first clash occurred early in the morning and was followed by a second round of violence in the afternoon.
The violence began from a dispute over graffiti on the college’s walls.
On Monday night, JCD activists, led by Abdullah Al Mamun, joint convener of the college unit JCD, modified the graffiti, which originally read “Student politics and Chhatra League-free campus” by removing the word ‘student’ and replacing it with ‘Gupta’ (secret). This action led to rising tensions between the two factions, sparking the initial clash on Tuesday morning.
The Vice Principal of the college Jasim Uddin confirmed that the altercation was related to the graffiti incident and stated that police had intervened to restore order.
Following the morning clash, college authorities decided to suspend internal classes and exams scheduled for later in the day. However, exams under the National University, including Degree Second Year and Masters exams, proceeded as planned.
The violence flared up again around 4pm when Chhatra Shibir staged an impromptu protest rally.
Sources said the situation escalated quickly, with both groups armed with sticks and throwing bricks at each other. Despite the police presence, officers appeared largely passive during the incident.
One Chhatra Shibir activist, Ashraful Islam, suffered severe injuries when his right ankle was torn off during the clashes, with a video of the incident spreading rapidly on social media.
Mahmud Bin Sabbir, organising secretary of Chittagong City College Shibir, accused JCD of launching an unprovoked attack on their members, resulting in several injuries.
Zahidul Islam Joy, press secretary of Chattogram South Shibir, claimed that Shibir workers, who had come to take exams, were ambushed by JCD activists.
He also stated that 15 Shibir members were injured, one critically. In contrast, Syed Siddique Roni, convenor of City College JCD, alleged that Shibir leaders and activists had attacked them over a post on social media.
He also accused Shibir of attempting to engage in “secret politics” on the campus.
Chittagong Kotwali Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Aftab Uddin confirmed that additional police forces were deployed to control the situation.
He stated that only a few individuals from each side suffered injuries during the clashes, but no arrests were made.
