10 injured in clash between Chhatra Dal, Shibir at Cumilla Polytechnic Institute

At least 10 people were injured in a clash between Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir at Cumilla Government Polytechnic Institute yesterday (23 April).

The injured were admitted to different hospitals in Cumilla.

Confirming the matter, Cumilla Sadar South Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sirajul Mostafa said additional police were deployed at the scene immediately after the incident.

"The situation is now calm," the OC added.

According to the institute sources, the incident stemmed from an altercation earlier in the afternoon when several Chhatra Dal members slapped a student named Nafis Abdullah around 4pm over calling someone a "Gupto" (secret) Shibir" member.

In the evening, Shibir activists went to the principal's office seeking justice for the incident. The principal formed a three-member committee to look into the matter.

However, tensions escalated during the discussions, and at one point, outsiders entered the office area, triggering clashes between the two groups.

As the situation worsened, a large number of police personnel rushed to the scene and brought it under control. Police also conducted searches in the dormitories at night, but nothing significant was recovered.

Mazharul Islam Chowdhury, Principal of the institute, told The Business Standard that discussions were underway to resolve an issue and a committee had been formed to investigate it.

"In the meantime, a group of youth entered the office room and created disorder," he said.