A chase and counter-chase took place between students of Khulna University (KU) and some local residents near the campus on Friday night over a Facebook post.
Local residents said a number of KU students assaulted Sajal, a local youth, over his Facebook posts about the drug situation inside the university and alleged immoral activities at some houses on Hall Road.
When Sajal’s friends and other local residents gathered at the hall gate after hearing about the incident, the students also assaulted an elderly local man, they said.
Some university students alleged that a person using a pseudonym on social media had made offensive posts targeting university students and that they had called him to the Khaja Gate area to seek an explanation.
They said a group of people then gathered there with the backing of some political figures and began taking the elderly man away while beating him.
The students alleged that the group then attacked them and threw bricks and stones at them, injuring several students.
They claimed that they had not initiated any attack and that the situation escalated after they came under attack.
Professor Md Salauddin, director of student affairs at KU, said police and teachers had brought the situation under control.
“An investigation is under way to determine what triggered the incident,” he said.
The youth who had been in the students’ custody was handed over to the Harintana Police Station, he added.
Md Iqbal Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of the Harintana Police Station, said tension had escalated over what appeared to be a minor incident.
He said the situation was now completely under control.
