Rajshahi, Mar 11: Members of Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed in Rajshahi city as around 200 people were injured in clashes between the students of Rajshahi University and local traders in Binodpur area, adjacent to the university, in the city on Saturday evening.
The notice cited ‘unavoidable reasons’ for suspending the classes and examinations.
The police said that a sociology department student was locked into an altercation and scuffled with a bus staff in Binodpur Bazar area at 6:30pm over the bus fare.
As local traders came in to save the bus staff, the students also fought with them.
Witnesses said that the traders including local Awami League leaders and activists organised themselves within a few minutes and chased the students resulting in a triangular clash.
The students and the traders then began to chase and threw brick chips at each other, they added.
The students vandalised several shops and set them on fire while the traders damaged several motorcycles of the students.
RU pro-vice chancellor Professor Sultan-ul Islam said that at least 200 people were injured in the clashes.
The clash continued while filing the report at about 11:45pm and the law enforcement agencies were trying to bring the situation under control.
The police had to open rubber bullets to disperse the clashing groups, said a senior official at Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.
Border Guard Bangladesh-1 battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Sabbir Ahmed told reporters at about 10:30pm that seven platoons of BGB members were deployed in the area to bring the situation under control.
Abul Kalam Azad, assistant superintendent of police of Motihar division, told this correspondent that they were trying to bring the situation under control.
He added that the students barred the vehicles of the Fire Service and Civil Defence from entering the spot.
Traffic movement remained suspended on the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway until filing this report.
