Fear sends off-campus students into CU dorms

A large number of Chittagong University students who had been living in private lodgings in nearby areas have temporarily moved to on-campus dormitories, citing safety concerns following recent back-to-back clashes between students and locals in the adjacent Jobra village.

The sense of insecurity and panic led many students to also go to their relatives and friends in the city yesterday.

Though the university authority has tried to reassure students, the lingering tension is yet to subside with the extension of Section 144 around the clash sites.

Tahsif Khan, a student of the economics department, said he moved to the Farhad Hall from his rented cottage near Gate No-2 of the campus. "After Section 144 was imposed, I had gone back to my cottage. But the way some of the locals were looking at me made me feel unsafe. So, I decided to move into my friend's dormitory for the time being."

Mahthir Rahman, a student of the physics department who lived on Imam Bukhari Madrasa Road near Gate No-2, said, "During the clash Sunday noon, the window glass of my room was shattered. I was so scared that I locked myself inside and stayed in for nearly four hours. I saw a student get hacked with sharp weapons on the streets.

"After the army arrived in the afternoon, I packed my things and left for the campus. I've now moved into a dorm, as I no longer feel safe staying off-campus."

Abir Ahmed Piyas, a student of the IR department, echoed the same concern. "I've shifted to my friend's dorm because I don't think I'd be safe in my rented house. Like me, many students have also moved to the halls."

Prof Taslim Uddin, provost of AF Rahman dormitory, said, "We've accommodated around 50 to 100 non-residential students in this dorm. Despite there being limited hall seats, the students have been sharing their beds. We're trying to ease the tension."

CU currently operates 15 residential halls: 10 for male students and five for female students. Together, these halls accommodate approximately 7,000 students: around 4,500 males and 2,500 females.

While the number of students currently enrolled is over 27,550, only about 25 percent of them reside on campus.

For this, most of the students, especially freshers, have to live in cottages, buildings, and rented houses near the campus.

According to the Chattogram University Cottage Owners' Association, there are at least 126 student cottages adjacent to the campus. In addition, over a hundred multi-storey buildings in Jobra village also accommodate students. Together, these off-campus accommodations are home to an estimated 3,500 to 4,000 students.

A visit to the areas where the clashes took place revealed a sense of eerie calm. Most cottages and residential buildings were found locked, with only a handful of students seen in the vicinity.

Later in the day, the CU authorities convened a meeting and took a few decisions in the wake of students' demands.

After the meeting, CU Pro VC Dr Kamal Uddin said the authority has decided to file a case with the police over the series of attacks on CU students. "Apart from a committee will be formed to ensure treatment of the injured students."

Dr Kamal also said a decision has been taken to immediately install a police outpost at the Railway Crossing Gate to maintain law and order.

A total of 14 students are currently undergoing treatment in two port city hospitals. In Parkview Hospital, eight students are admitted, with two of them in the ICU. Six others are under treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital. One more student was referred to Dhaka for better treatment.