Rajshahi, Sept 25 (V7N) – Rajshahi University is facing heightened unrest as tensions between students, faculty, and staff over the institutional or “offspring” quota have now drawn in local community pressure. Faculty members are demanding swift and strict action against students accused of physically assaulting three university officials last Saturday, warning that failure to do so will force them to take matters into their own hands.
 
The incident has sparked fears of further clashes. To ease the crisis, the university administration has formed a 15-member liaison committee, headed by Vice-Chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Nakib, to improve relations with locals. However, with the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) election and the teachers’ ongoing shutdown program in the backdrop, the administration has been slow to restore calm.
 
Tensions escalated after Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Main Uddin, Proctor Professor Mahbubur Rahman, and Printing Press Manager Robiul Islam were assaulted by followers of Salahuddin Ammar, a former leader of the anti-discrimination student movement and an independent candidate in the RUCSU polls. Robiul Islam remains hospitalized. Locals have since staged demonstrations at the main and Kazla gates of the university, as well as in Binodpur Bazar, threatening to take action against Salahuddin if the administration fails to do so.
 
Community leaders, including former councilors and local club representatives, addressed rallies warning of “justice in their own hands.” They drew parallels to violent clashes between students and locals at Chittagong University in previous years.
 
Salahuddin, a student of Islamic Studies, dismissed the allegations, saying, “This is an internal matter of the university. I do not understand why outsiders are interfering.” The acting registrar, Professor Iftikharul Alam Masud, countered that faculty members also live among the community, making local involvement inevitable.
 
Many students expressed fear that the unrest could disrupt the RUCSU election. “Everything seems connected to the polls,” said student Anwar Hossain. “We are worried because anything can happen at any moment.” Another student, Maruf Hossain, warned that unresolved tensions around the quota issue could directly impact the student union election.
 
Campaign activities have come to a halt after the election commission postponed the vote from September 25 to October 16 following the shutdown program. Candidates remain uncertain whether campaigning is still permitted. “We have not received clear instructions from the election commission,” said Mehedi Hasan Maruf, a VP candidate. “The campus feels empty, with few students around, so no campaigning is happening.”
 
Meanwhile, teachers and officials continue their indefinite shutdown, demanding the expulsion of the accused students and reinstatement of the institutional quota for their children. Despite appeals from the administration to withdraw the protest, no official decision has been made by the faculty associations.
 
The deadlock has left the university in a state of uncertainty, with fears that the combination of local involvement, student protests, and faculty pressure could lead to further instability in the days ahead.
 
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