Shawdesh Desk:

Chittagong University (CU) students vandalised about 50 vehicles and ransacked the vice-chancellor’s residence, teachers’ club and a police box after some students were injured in the strikes from tree branches while travelling on the rooftop of a CU shuttle train on Thursday night.

Some students sitting on the train rooftop were severely hit by tree branches near Chowdhury Ha Station in Hathazari around 9:30pm on the way to the campus from the port city.

At least 20 students suffered injuries on their heads, faces and necks while three of them reportedly fell on the ground in the strike.

Sixteen of the injured were rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said Sub-Inspector Nurul Alam Ashiq of the hospital police outpost.

Hearing the news, hundreds of students thronged on the campus at midnight, staged a demonstration and carried out massive vandalism in the protest against the incident.

The three critically-injured students were identified as Amjad Hossain Sohag, Khalilur Rahman and Angsainu Marma, he added.

CU Proctor Dr Nurul Azim Sikder alleged that Jamaat-Shibir and BNP instigated the students to destabilise the country.

The agitating students vandalised around 50 vehicles — 24 buses and 15 cars and microbuses.

On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Dr Nurul Azim further said the university authorities are taking care of the injured students and will bear all the medical expenses.

Jahid Hasan, a student of the university, alleged that shuttle trains lack enough compartments for huge students of the university.

The students ride on the rooftops of trains, risking their lives after failing to get space inside the compartments, he said.

CU VC Professor Dr Shireen Akhter visited the injured students in CMCH.

“We will provide the necessary supports for the injured students,” she said.

“We are regularly asking Bangladesh Railway for providing us with additional compartments. Although they have assured us several times, we are yet to receive those,” VC Shireen added.

Inspector (Investigation) Md Nurul Alam of Hathazari police station said the situation on the CU campus was normal on Friday.

However, additional forces were deployed to ward off any untoward incident, he said.