Chittagong University has witnessed one of the worst episodes of violence in its history as clashes between locals and students raged from late Saturday night into Sunday. The unrest began after a female Philosophy student was allegedly assaulted by a caretaker near Gate No. 2, sparking outrage among students and leading to repeated confrontations with local residents.
According to CU Medical Center officials, nearly 1,500 students have been injured, with 500 transported by buses and ambulances to hospitals in Chattogram, including Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Parkview, National, and Agrabad Mother & Child Hospital. At least 10 students are in critical condition with severe injuries. Doctors reported deep cuts, fractured bones, split foreheads, and heavy bleeding. One student was described as having a gaping hand wound with blood spurting out, along with injuries to his stomach and head.
The clashes, fueled by attacks from locals armed with sticks, sharp weapons, and crude bombs, spread across the campus on Sunday afternoon. Even senior university officials were not spared; Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Kamal Uddin and Proctor Dr. Md. Tanvir Haider Arif were among those injured. Security forces struggled to bring the situation under control until authorities finally imposed Section 144 in the surrounding areas.
As the campus remained locked down and shops closed, injured students and those standing guard went hungry for hours. In this dire moment, female students from residential halls stepped forward, cooking food with their own hands and carrying it to the Shaheed Minar premises where many of the wounded had gathered. They served rice and curry to their fellow students, many of whom had been bleeding and exhausted since morning.
“Our brothers are bleeding, hungry, and exhausted. If we don’t stand by them now, then when?” said one female student while distributing food. Another added, “This is our duty as sisters. The campus is closed, no shops are open, so we are cooking ourselves and bringing food to keep our brothers strong.”
For many injured students, this act of solidarity was a moment of hope in the midst of fear. Parvez, a third-year Sociology student, who fought alongside his classmates against the local attackers, said he had gone without food all day. “I thought I would have to spend the night hungry. But when my sisters served food at Shaheed Minar, it felt like unbelievable humanity in such darkness,” he said.
What began with the assault of one female student has now spiraled into campus-wide violence, leaving over a thousand students wounded. Yet in the face of brutality, the image of female students standing by their male peers with food and compassion has become a powerful symbol of unity and resistance at Chittagong University.
