A brutal fight among student factions at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology in southwestern Bangladesh left more than 150 injured on Tuesday. The mayhem has laid bare profound cleavages between student groups who had allied together to unseat former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
The clashes erupted after students from the youth wing of the BNP reportedly launched a recruitment drive in the university campus. The BNP activists were soon confronted by members of Students Against Discrimination, and soon there were clashes on a violent scale. Police official Kabir Hossain verified that a minimum of 50 students had been admitted to the hospital with severe injuries, and about 100 others received minor injuries.
Witnesses said students were attacked with hurled bricks and sharp objects, with videos circulating on social media of people brandishing machetes and scythes. The authorities responded by sending more police units to regain control.
They both blamed the other for fomenting the violence. BNP student wing president Nasir Uddin Nasir alleged that Islamist party Jamaat activists were involved in fanning the confrontations. But local student Obayed Ullah denied those claims, saying Jamaat had no presence on campus. He also said BNP members had broken a university rule prohibiting political party activity.
The episode fueled anger nationwide, triggering a protest rally at Dhaka University on Tuesday evening denouncing BNP’s youth wing.
Students Against Discrimination had been central to last year’s protests against Hasina that brought about her ouster after 15 years in office. Student leaders, though, have yet to convert their triumph into enduring political clout, with Bangladesh set to hold elections under its existing caretaker government by mid-2025.
