Supporters of Sarjis Alam, chief organiser of National Citizen Party (NCP), have accused certain private university students of carrying out an attack in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area. Conversely, the opposing party has lodged counter-allegations of assault. The police stated that those involved are believed to be private university students.
A video capturing shouting and screaming surrounding Sarjis Alam’s presence in Bashundhara Residential Area went viral on Facebook last night. As a result, counter-complaints have been filed at the police station regarding the incident.
Supporters of Sarjis Alam filed a complaint at Vatara police station over alleged attack. The opposing party lodged a counter-complaint at the same police station regarding the incident. It has been reported that they, too, are university students and have similarly accused the other side of assault.
Speaking to Prothom Alo this Thursday morning, Officer-in-Charge of Vatara police station, Mazharul Islam stated, “Both parties have filed complaints at the police station. Each side has accused the other of assault, as well as the snatching of mobile phones and money. Appropriate action will be taken after consulting senior officials.
Following the circulation of yesterday’s video, some individuals have claimed that general students declared Sarjis Alam as persona non grata in Bashundhara Residential Area.
Investigations have revealed that the incident shown in the viral video occurred on Wednesday night, after 10 pm, in front of North South University, located in Bashundhara Residential Area. On Wednesday night, the video of the incident was posted on various Facebook accounts.
The caption accompanying the posts stated, “After depriving private university students within the NCP, Sarjis Alam arrived in Bashundhara Residential Area on Wednesday with his followers to show their strength. Upon hearing this news, general students from North South University, AIUB (American International University of Bangladesh) and IUB (Independent University of Bangladesh) confronted Sarji’s supporters. Facing this resistance, Sarjis retreated to his vehicle and left the Bashundhara Area. During this time, the general students declared Sarjis persona non grata in the area.”
A journalist, citing eyewitness accounts, informed Prothom Alo that Sarjis Alam had arrived in Bashundhara Residential Area around 7 pm on Wednesday. He spent nearly three hours socialising with approximately a hundred students from various private universities in the area. After 10:00 pm, around 15 young individuals from the opposite side suddenly started chanting slogans directed at Sarjis.
As students accompanying Sarjis approached them, tensions escalated, leading to a heated exchange between the two groups. Sarjis himself intervened in an attempt to normalise the situation. Eventually, he got into his vehicle and left the scene. Following his departure, a physical altercation broke out between the two groups.
Meanwhile, Sarjis Alam has claimed that a student leader named Shakil, a former student of North South University, was involved in the incident. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he stated, “This was done deliberately to create a slightly embarrassing situation. There were no more than 10 to 12 individuals involved. Except for three or four of them, the rest were not even students. On the other hand, I was accompanied by 100 to 150 students from four private universities.”
Providing further details on the incident, the NCP leader said, “When those 10 to 12 individuals started shouting, the students with me approached them to ask why they were doing so. I then stepped forward and told both sides that there was no need for anyone to shout and asked them to return home. After that, I left the scene. Later, I heard that a physical fight had taken place.”