RAJSHAHI, Aug 20 (UNB): Rajshahi University (RU) was closed sine die Wednesday morning following overnight clashes between students and local businessmen at Binodpur Bazar beside the varsity campus that left over 50 people wounded, including students, police and journalists.
The university authorities also asked the residential students to vacate all the dormitories by 12 noon today to avert further outbreaks of violence.
And the students complied with the strict orders by the deadline set by the university syndicate.
The RU policymaking body took the decision in an emergency meeting in the morning with acting Vice-chancellor Prof. Mamnul Keramat in the chair.
Campus sources said supervisor of a bus of Hanif Paribahan took Tk 300 from Humayun, a 2nd-semester student of Management Department of the university, as ticket fare for his travel to Gazipur Tuesday afternoon assuring him a seat.
The supervisor didn't give him any ticket.
But he was not provided with any seat while he started the journey. The supervisor assured managing seat for him from Natore. Later, the supervisor allegedly forced Humayun to get down from the bus, without returning him the money, after a quarrel with him over the matter. Humayun went back to the campus instead of moving to Gazipur, where his brother-in-law was reported sick.
As he narrated the episode of humiliation, students got angry and hundreds of them rushed out and put barricades on the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway at Binodpur Bazar Tuesday evening.
The blockade coupled with demonstrations continued from 7 pm to 10 pm. The melee brought traffic on the busy route to a total halt for three hours, with hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides.
Later, a clash broke out between the RU students and local businessmen on the RU campus and its neighbourhoods after several students beat up a staff member of Hanif Enterprise, Kanak, at Binodpur Bazar at about 8pm.
