Dhaka’s Government Madrasah-e-Alia area witnessed clashes, attacks and repeated chases between activists of the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir and the Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal on Tuesday, leaving several people reportedly injured and disrupting traffic along a busy road.
The violence began in the afternoon and continued intermittently, with tensions escalating in several phases. Witnesses said the confrontations and subsequent chases forced traffic to come to a halt on the road in front of the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board, causing considerable inconvenience to commuters and residents in the area.
According to people present at the scene, a group of Shibir activists gathered near the main gate of Government Madrasah-e-Alia, with some reportedly carrying iron pipes. Chhatra Dal activists, meanwhile, took up positions on the road in front of the Madrasah Education Board. The presence of rival groups in close proximity contributed to a tense atmosphere, with the situation repeatedly threatening to deteriorate into further violence.
Additional police personnel were deployed to the area as the clashes continued. Law-enforcement officers attempted to control the situation and prevent the confrontation from spreading. However, intermittent incidents of violence and chasing were reported during the afternoon.
The latest confrontation reportedly followed an earlier clash at Jagannath University on the same day. The two student organisations were involved in a dispute over participation in a programme marking the second anniversary of the July Uprising. The confrontation at the university reportedly took place in several phases, with at least 50 people said to have been injured.
Tension subsequently spread to the Alia Madrasa area. Witnesses said the first reported chase between the two groups took place at around 3pm. The activists later remained positioned in and around the area, with Chhatra Dal members reportedly staying outside the madrasa while Shibir activists maintained a presence nearby.
The situation escalated again at around 5.15pm, when clashes broke out between the two sides. The resulting disruption affected movement along the road in front of the Madrasah Education Board, leaving a large number of commuters facing delays and difficulties.
The exact number of people injured in the Alia Madrasa clashes, as well as their identities and the extent of their injuries, could not be independently confirmed immediately. No detailed official account of the incident or the circumstances that triggered the confrontation was available at the time of reporting.
Police remained deployed in the area to maintain order and prevent further escalation. The authorities were also working to restore normal traffic movement along the affected road.
The clashes came amid heightened political tensions between student organisations in the capital. The sequence of events—from the confrontation at Jagannath University in the morning to the subsequent violence near Government Madrasah-e-Alia—has raised concerns over the potential for isolated disputes between rival groups to spill over into neighbouring areas and disrupt public life.
