Dhaka, Jan 22 (DPA) The military-backed interim government in Bangladesh braced for a second day of campus protests Tuesday amid the South Asian nation’s simmering crisis which has shut down at least six state run universities, officials said.
The latest unrest was sparked by a conviction of four teachers and 14 students of the premier Dhaka University by a district court on charges of igniting a military vehicle and stoning security forces on the campus last August.
The faculty members were also blamed for making inflammatory speeches on the campus inciting the students to attack the security forces who fired tear gas and set up road blocks to quell the turmoil.
The violence originated from a quarrel between a student and a soldier over a seat at a football match on the campus.
The unrest spread to other universities as the standoff between the agitating students and the interim government heightened.
Earlier the court sentenced the teachers and students to three years in prison.
However, President Iajuddin Ahmed pardoned the convicts to ease tension on the campuses.