A minor disagreement over seating arrangements during a cultural programme escalated into series of violent clashes and vandalism between students of Rajshahi University’s Management Studies and Chemistry departments on Wednesday night. The violent confrontations, which swept across student residential areas and academic buildings, left at least four students from the Chemistry department injured, two of them critically.
The unrest began at the university’s Teacher-Student Centre (TSC), where students from both departments had gathered to attend an event. A heated verbal argument erupted when several individuals clashed over available chairs. Although fellow attendees attempted to mediate and diffuse the tension on the spot, the dispute remained unresolved, paving the way for retaliatory attacks later in the evening.
Tensions boiled over behind the Nawab Abdul Latif Hall, where a group of students from the Management Studies department physically assaulted several Chemistry students. Two individuals sustained injuries during this initial assault. Word of the attack spread rapidly across the campus, prompting an immediate counter-reaction from Chemistry students.
In retaliation, a large group of Chemistry students marched to the Rabindranath Tagore Academic Building, which houses the Management Studies department, launching an assault on the premises and damaging property inside. Students from Management Studies retaliated from the second and third floors of the building by hurling bricks and stones down at the crowd below, injuring two more Chemistry students. The violence reached a peak when Management Studies students launched a counter-attack on the Jabir Ibn Hayyan Building, home to the Chemistry department, causing further structural damage to windows and office fittings.
Campus medical staff identified the injured Chemistry students as Ferdous Hasan, Sajidur, Noman, and Samin. Due to the severity of their injuries, Ferdous Hasan and Sajidur were transferred immediately from the Rajshahi University Medical Centre to the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) for specialized treatment. The remaining two students received primary medical aid on campus.
University authorities and law enforcement personnel rushed to the affected sites to restore order. Assistant Proctor Professor Rafiqul Islam confirmed the violent incidents, noting that administrative officials were actively coordinating with security teams to stabilize the campus atmosphere. Immediate attempts to obtain official statements from student representatives of both departments were unsuccessful, as departmental leaders had not issued formal comments by late Wednesday night. Campus administrators have since launched an inquiry to identify those responsible for orchestrating the violence and destroying public property.
