Tense standoff between Dhaka College students, Zigatola residents after hostel vandalised

Hundreds of students from Dhaka College and locals of the capital’s Zigatola area engaged in a tense standoff past midnight on Saturday over allegations of stealing and fund misappropriation.

A large number of police were deployed near the “Dhaka Residency” hostel at the Gabtala area of Zigatola to pre-empt escalations -- as around 8:30pm, the Dhaka College students had allegedly vandalised the “Dhaka Residency” hostel.

Around 12:30am, hundreds of students from Dhaka College were present at the site, but police officers eventually managed to persuade them to leave, and normalise the situation, said Hazaribagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mosharraf Hossain.

However, the OC, different police sources and a Chhatra Dal leader at Dhaka College have given different accounts of what caused the unrest.

Officer-in-Charge Mosharraf Hossain said that there was “a group of four-five or four-seven people” at Zigatola. One member of the group, which could have included Dhaka College students, lost a bicycle.

The group suspected that another small group of three members was behind the apparent stealing.

On Saturday, the first group turned aggressive towards the second group demanding the return of the bicycle or compensation.

Another police source said that tensions erupted over house rent or other issues between a local landlord and some students from Dhaka College who were seeking accommodation options.

Afterwards, hundreds of students from the college went to the spot and vandalized the “Dhaka Residency” hostel.

As per both the police accounts, officers eventually learnt of the tensions and rushed to the spot. They detained all three members of the second group from the spot. All three were students of Dhaka College.

Later, the college authorities contacted police and secured the youths’ release.

Calm later returned to the area, OC Mosharraf told reporters.

Separately, A joint convener of Chhatra Dal’s Dhaka College unit said, that tensions erupted between a group of resident Dhaka College students and another group of non-resident students.

The second group was senior in age and owed money to the first group.

On 1 October, the senior group was preparing to leave their housing facility at Zigatola. Learning that they were about to leave, the second group went to the area, demanding the repayment of lent money.

The seniors refused to pay up, and their juniors started filming the conversation. At one point, the seniors beat up their juniors.

Feeling agitated at the beating by non-resident students, a group of 50-60 students residing in Dhaka College went to the hostel, where the seniors were residing, and inflicted violence on the site.

Four-five resident students were injured in the tensions, the Chhatra Dal leader claimed.