Bangladesh closes university after World Cup riots

AFP

19 06 2010

DHAKA — One of Bangladesh’s leading universities closed indefinitely on Sunday after five people were injured in riots by students demanding time off to watch the football World Cup, police said.

Students carrying sticks rampaged through the University of Engineering and Technology in the capital Dhaka on Saturday demanding term be cut short so they could see World Cup matches, said local police chief Rezaul Karim.

« The junior students want the campus to close so they can watch the World Cup. But some senior students, who have exams, didn’t want that — so there were some very tense clashes, » Karim said.

« The university held emergency meetings and decided to close immediately, » he said, adding this was a week ahead of the scheduled June 26 end of term.

During the 2006 World Cup, scores of students were injured in clashes at the same university.

« We have closed the university for an indefinite period to avoid any trouble, we hope to reopen after the World Cup, » Jibon Podder, the student affairs chief, told AFP.

Bangladesh has a culture of violent student politics, especially on public university campuses. All three of the country’s main political parties have strong student wings, which they fund and sometimes arm.

The usually cricket-mad nation is currently gripped by World Cup fever, despite the national team’s not having qualified for the tournament.

Irate fans last week damaged vehicles and attacked electricity distribution centres when a power cut hit television coverage of a match.

Some factories in Dhaka have also shut during games to reduce power blackouts.

BUET closes sine die over clashes

bdnews24.com

Sat, Jun 19th, 2010

Dhaka, June 19 (bdnews24.com) – Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology has closed indefinitely over clashes between student groups.

« The vice-chancellor made the decision on Saturday afternoon considering the situation after clashes, » public relations officer Md Shah Alam told bdnews24.com.

The male students were asked to leave the halls by 8:30pm and female students by 10am Sunday.

Witnesses said a group of students of the third year (new) wanted to go on vacation from Saturday ahead of the scheduled date to watch the World Cup football finals.

The university was set to go on vacation from June 28.

From the morning, they were obstructing students from joining classes by blocking several buildings.

A clash erupted when several students of the final year were assaulted.

Then some students of the old third year joined with those of new third year and started to throw out the final year students from the halls and campus.

Several small clashes took place during this time.

Later, ruling party-backed Chhatra League leaders tried to ease the tension but failed.

Clashes also took place at a meeting called to resolve the situation.

Two students were injured during the meeting.

Following the meeting, rival groups gave each other chase and counter chase.

Failing to control the situation, the authorities closed the campus for an indefinite period.

Several students, requesting anonymity not to be named, told the bdnews24.com correspondent that most of the students involved in the violence were Chhatra League activists.

Following the decision to close the university, students began to leave the dormitories from evening.

Bangladesh closes varsity over World Cup violence

Reuters

Sat, 19 Jun 2010

Bangladesh closed its leading engineering university in the capital Dhaka for an indefinite period on Saturday after students who wanted a break to watch World Cup matches went on a protest rampage in the campus.

« Male students have already left their dormitories while the females will vacate their residential halls by Sunday morning, » a teacher of the University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) told Reuters.

At least four students were injured as stones were thrown and windows smashed at the BUET offices in Saturday’s violence.

The students wanted the scheduled summer vacation advanced by seven days to next week, leaving them free to watch football’s biggest tournament in South Africa on television.

BUET is a state-managed institution of some 5,000 students.

Bangladesh are rated 157th in the FIFA world rankings but football is very popular in the south Asian country where flags of leading countries have been hoisted during the World Cup.

~ par Alain Bertho sur 20 juin 2010.

Publié dans émeutes, riots