A trivial argument over seating during a campus function flared into widespread violence at Rajshahi University on Wednesday night, leaving four students injured and two academic buildings damaged. What began as a minor verbal disagreement between undergraduates from the Department of Management Studies and the Department of Chemistry quickly deteriorated into retaliatory physical assaults, stone-pelting, and targeted vandalism across residential and academic precincts.
The trouble originated at the university’s Teacher-Student Centre (TSC), where students from both departments had assembled to attend an event. Tensions flared when several attendees began arguing over available chairs. Although bystanders stepped in to mediate and calm the situation, the underlying friction persisted, creating an uneasy standoff that spilled over into the wider campus grounds later that evening.
Matters reached a boiling point behind the Nawab Abdul Latif Hall, where a group of Management Studies students confronted and physically attacked several Chemistry students. Two undergraduates sustained injuries in the melee. News of the assault spread swiftly through student residential quarters, triggering a prompt and aggressive counter-reaction from Chemistry department cohorts.
Seeking retribution, a sizable contingent of Chemistry students marched on the Rabindranath Tagore Academic Building, which accommodates the Management Studies faculty. The crowd launched an attack on the facility, smashing glass panels and damaging instructional equipment inside. Management Studies students positioned on the second and third floors responded by hurling bricks and heavy stones into the courtyard below, injuring two more Chemistry students. The violent exchange culminated in a reciprocal attack by Management Studies students on the Jabir Ibn Hayyan Building, which houses the Chemistry department, causing further destruction to windows, doors, and administrative fittings.
Medical officers identified the four injured Chemistry students as Ferdous Hasan, Sajidur, Noman, and Samin. Because of the serious nature of their trauma, Ferdous Hasan and Sajidur were urgently transferred from the Rajshahi University Medical Centre to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) for specialized clinical care. Medical staff administered basic first aid on campus to Noman and Samin, whose injuries were reported to be less severe.
The escalation highlights long-standing concerns regarding security infrastructure, crisis intervention mechanisms, and crowd control protocols at Bangladesh’s public higher education institutions. University proctors and local police units arrived at the scene late in the evening to separate the opposing groups and establish order. Assistant Proctor Professor Rafiqul Islam confirmed the casualties and property damage, reassuring the public that administrative teams were collaborating closely with law enforcement to prevent further violence. Campus officials have instituted a formal inquiry to pinpoint the instigators, assess the extent of institutional damage, and determine disciplinary action. Student representatives from both departments declined to provide formal statements as night fell, leaving the campus under heightened administrative surveillance.
