Students of Dhaka, Ideal colleges lock horns again

Students of Dhaka College and Ideal College clashed again in the capital on Sunday, causing public sufferings due to disrupted traffic for some time in Science Lab and adjacent areas.

The incident took place around 12:15pm near the southern end of Green Road, close to the Science Lab intersection. Traffic, including public transport, was disrupted. The situation returned to normal after police intervened. While students from both colleges claimed that several of their peers were injured, police described the incident as a “minor altercation.”

Mohammad Ayub, officer-in-charge (OC) of New Market Police Station (PS), said the situation became tense after students allegedly threw stones and bricks at a Dhaka College bus.

“Later, some students went to Ideal College and tried to create trouble. The situation was brought under control after our intervention and with the assistance of teachers,” the OC said.

Some Dhaka College students, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they went towards Ideal College around noon after hearing that Ideal College students had thrown stones and bricks at a Dhaka College bus in front of Labaid Hospital around 11:30am.

One of the students claimed that the impact of the stones and bricks shattered the bus windows. They also alleged that three Dhaka College students were injured in an attack by Ideal College students.

Meanwhile, several Ideal College students, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said Dhaka College students had come to attack them without provocation. One of them claimed that more than five Ideal College students were injured in the clash.

Clashes between students of the two colleges over various incidents are not new. The two groups were involved in at least 15 clashes last year.

On November 9 last year, students of the two colleges reached a verbal “peace agreement” in the Science Lab area, with police from New Market PS mediating the agreement and the students pledging not to engage in further clashes. The students also chanted “Bhai Bhai” (brothers) slogans that day.