4 HSTU students held over dorm clash

Police have arrested four students in connection with a clash between students of two residential halls at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur.

The arrests were made during overnight drives from Friday night to early Saturday following the filing of a case over the incident.

The arrested students were identified as Asif Hossain Kafi, 26, from Faculty of Veterinary Science; Md Sohel Rana, 25, from Chemistry Department; Samiul Islam Shams, 28, from Faculty of Veterinary Science and Shakir Mahmud, 23, from Economics Department.

Earlier, the university’s Proctor, Prof Dr Md Nowsher Oan, filed a case naming seven students and accusing 100 to 120 unidentified students in connection with the violence.

The named accused include Arafat Hossain , from Physics Department, Tasrif Islam Prantik, from Accounting Department, Naimur Rahman Durjoy, from Food and Process Engineering Department, along with the four arrested students.

According to the case statement, the clash erupted on Thursday afternoon between students of Shaheed Nur Hossain Hall and Shaheed Abrar Fahad Hall. During the violence, over a hundred students allegedly entered Shaheed Nur Hossain Hall armed with sticks and locally made weapons, vandalising government property worth around Tk 300,000 to Tk 350,000.

Assistant Proctor Mobinul Islam and three students were reportedly injured in the attack, while the assailants also created panic and intimidation on the campus.

Dinajpur Kotwali Police Station officer-in-charge Md Nurnabi confirmed the arrests and said efforts were underway to detain the remaining accused.

EHM/TZ