Who are the people attacking students with their faces covered?

Some of them were wearing helmets while some wore masks during the attack on Chittagong University (CU) students. They were also carrying machetes. Students were even kicked after being hacked.

The incident occurred around 2:30 pm in the Jobra village adjacent to CU campus on Sunday. Although a day has passed, the police and the university authorities are yet to identify the people wearing masks during the attack.

The clash broke out when news spread that the watchman of a rented house had assaulted a female student in the early hours of Sunday. The clash continued for three hours until the army intervened and defused the two sides around 3:30 am.

However, the situation could not be brought under control. Clash broke out again and continued for three hours from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Sunday. At least 200 students sustained serious injuries in the clash in several phases.

Speaking to the students and visiting the spot during the clash, it was found that some people wearing helmets and masks carried out an all-out attack on the students. They were armed with machetes, iron rods and brickbats. The students were hacked on the head, waist and hands.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, CU student Dhruba Barua said local residents dragged students trapped in different lanes and beat them. Some of them were wearing helmets and masks. The administration must find them.

Md Shahadat Hossain, a postgraduate student at CU, told Prothom Alo that there were around 30-40 people who were wearing helmets during the attack. These people must be found. They mingled with locals and attacked the students.

CU Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), unit president Alauddin Mohsin blamed the administration. He claimed that people from Hathazari and Fatikchhari were called up to attack the students.

Meanwhile, no case has been filed over such a massive incident even after a day. As of 2:00 pm Monday, none has been arrested in connection with the incident either, said Hathazari police station officer-in-charge (OC) Abu Kawser Mohammad Hossain.

CU acting registrar Md Saiful Islam told Prothom Alo that the situation is normal on the campus then. Members of the law enforcement agencies have been deployed on the campus.

The students said a female student from the philosophy department lives in a rented house near gate-2 of the campus. She was allegedly assaulted by the watchman of the building as she tried to enter the building around 12:15 am on Sunday.

Hearing the news, students present at gate-2 tried to catch him. However, the watchman ran away. As the students started chasing him, locals started throwing brickbats towards the incident which ignited the clash. There were chasing and counter-chasing between the two sides in phases.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, the victim said, "I always get back to home on time. I was not late on that day either and returned home within 12:00 am. However, the watchman was not opening the gate. Later, when I called him loudly, he responded with abusive language. Then he slapped me all on a sudden as I protested. As soon as my roommates came down seeing the incident, the watchman shoved me off and started kicking me. At that time, my roommates and people nearby came forward to help me."

As the news spread, the students throng to the Jobra village adjacent to gate-2. There the students locked into an altercation with the locals which eventually led to the clash.

Later, the two sides backed off for a while after the army troops reached the spot. However, the situation could not be brought under control.

At least, 70 people were injured during the clash at night alone. Of them, at least 10 were hacked. Following the incident, local residents of Jobra village then blocked the Chattogram-Hathazari highway.