A violent confrontation broke out between rival student factions at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) on Monday evening (3 August), leaving several individuals injured. The skirmish involved activists belonging to the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, erupting during a photo exhibition organised on campus to mark the July Uprising.
The incident unfolded at approximately 7:30 pm on the university’s Swadhinata Smarak grounds, where Chhatra Shibir had set up an outdoor display. Under a banner titled “Judicial Killing”, the exhibition featured portraits of several executed top leaders of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami alongside former minister Salauddin Quader Chowdhury. Tensions mounted rapidly when local leaders and activists from the Chhatra Dal campus unit arrived at the venue and demanded the immediate removal of those specific portraits, arguing that displaying convicted figures diluted the spirit of the July Movement.
A heated argument quickly ensued between the two groups. According to eyewitness accounts, the verbal altercation escalated into physical violence when a group of Chhatra Dal activists, including university unit Vice-President Nirab, physically assaulted a Shibir member. Eyewitnesses further stated that Chhatra Dal members snapped branches off nearby trees to use as weapons and attacked Shibir activists, striking Shibir leader Mehedi Hasan with wooden cricket stumps.
As news of the physical altercation spread across the campus, activists from both student organisations mobilised in large numbers. Shibir supporters gathered near the university’s Sadar field, whilst Chhatra Dal members took up positions near the main entrance gates, with both sides exchanging aggressive slogans. University Proctor Dr Ferdous Rahman arrived at the site shortly afterwards in an effort to mediate and diffuse the rising hostility, though his initial interventions failed to calm the opposing groups.
The situation deteriorated further when Chhatra Dal Publicity Secretary Masud Rana allegedly arrived carrying sacks filled with broken bricks. Eyewitnesses reported that bricks were hurled towards the assembled Shibir members, triggering widespread brick-pelting and a frantic series of chases and counter-chases across the central campus grounds. The chaotic violence eventually subsided after Chhatra Dal activists dispersed and withdrew from the area.
In the aftermath of the clashes, university administration officials confirmed that a formal investigation into the violence has been launched. Proctor Dr Ferdous Rahman stated that authorities are carefully reviewing available video footage and photographic evidence captured during the brawl to identify all individuals involved in the assault and vandalism. He assured the university community that swift administrative and disciplinary measures would be taken against those found responsible. Security presence across residential halls and main campus thoroughfares has been heightened to prevent further retaliatory incidents.
