Chittagong University clashes: Classes, exams remain suspended

Classes and examinations at Chittagong University (CU) remain suspended today, Monday, following violent clashes with local villagers. Despite two rounds of confrontations, no case had been filed as of this morning.

The campus, usually abuzz with activity, lay under an eerie silence, though administrative functions, including recruitment tests, continued at the university’s offices.

The university has about 27,550 students across 48 departments and six institutes. After the clashes, all examinations scheduled for Sunday were postponed, while regular classes were largely disrupted. However, the recruitment test took place as planned.

During a visit this morning to the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Shaheed Minar, Gol Chattar, and Gate no. 2 areas, the campus appeared nearly deserted, with only a handful of students scattered across places that are normally filled with crowds and chatter.

According to university sources, buses for teachers, officers, and staff, as well as student shuttle trains, are running on schedule. Confirming the suspension of academic activities, Acting Controller of Examinations Professor Momtaz Uddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo, “Considering yesterday’s situation, classes and exams have been suspended today. Teachers’ buses are operating as usual. Whether classes will resume tomorrow, Tuesday will be announced shortly.”

The unrest began around 12:30 am Saturday night and continued intermittently until 3:00 pm Sunday, as students clashed with residents of nearby Jobra village. At least 220 people were injured, about 200 of them students.

The conflict reportedly erupted after a dormitory security guard allegedly assaulted a female student. University authorities, including Pro Vice Chancellors Professor Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan and Professor Md Kamal Uddin, as well as Proctor Tanvir Mohammad Haidar Arif, tried to mediate, but the situation quickly escalated. Bricks and stones were hurled as both sides engaged in repeated chases and counterattacks.

Students were seen wielding rods, pipes, wooden sticks, and stones, while villagers carried machetes, rods, and pipes. Jobra village soon turned into a battlefield, with clashes spilling into narrow alleys. Many students were trapped and beaten there, some left bleeding from sharp weapon injuries, and rushed to the university medical centre one after another. By early afternoon Sunday, the Hathazari upazila administration imposed Section 144 (prohibitory orders) across the university area.

Three students remain critically injured and are receiving treatment at two private hospitals in Chattogram city. One of them has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Despite the violence, police confirmed that no case had been filed as of this morning. Hathazari Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Kawsar Mohammad Hossain told Prothom Alo at 10:00 am, “No case has been filed over the Chittagong University clashes, and no one has been detained yet.”

University Acting Registrar Professor Mohammad Saiful Islam said, “The administration is preparing to file a case over the incident. We hope classes and exams will return to normal tomorrow. The university is taking full responsibility for the injured students. Whether they are at hospitals or clinics, all medical expenses are being borne by the university.”

According to students, the unrest started when a female student from the Department of Philosophy, who rents a room in a building near gate no. 2 of the university, was assaulted by the building’s security guard around 12:15 am Saturday night. When she tried to enter the building, the guard allegedly stopped and assaulted her. Students stationed at gate no. 2 attempted to catch him, but he fled. As students chased after him, local residents began pelting bricks and stones, triggering a clash and repeated chases between the two sides.

The student later told Prothom Alo, “When I returned home, I asked the guard to open the gate, but he refused. When I called out loudly, he started verbally abusing me. When I protested, he suddenly slapped me. As soon as my roommates came downstairs, he pushed me to the ground and started kicking me. My roommates and neighbours rushed to help.”

When news of the assault spread, students gathered near Jobra village adjacent to gate no. 2. Heated arguments soon escalated into violence. Around 3:30 am, army personnel arrived at the scene, prompting both sides to retreat, though the situation remained tense. At least 70 people were injured that night alone, including 10 who suffered machete wounds.

Following the late-night clashes, local residents blocked traffic from gate no. 2 through Jobra onto the Chattogram–Hathazari highway.