On November 25, 2024, hundreds of university students from across Dhaka vandalized Kabi Nazrul Government College and Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College in the course of a protest.

The students were protesting the recent death of a student from Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College, alleging ill-treatment by the Dhaka National Medical College Hospital. The students initially began protesting at Suhrawardy College, where they vandalized campus property, including several vehicles and a campus ambulance, and broke classroom and office furniture. The protesters also interrupted a first-year exam being conducted at the college, which was suspended for security reasons. Next, a group of protesters attempted to forcibly enter the Kabi Nazrul Government College; however, they were unable to get past the entry gates. While they protested outside Kabi Nazrul Government College, a clash also took place between two groups of students. Approximately 30 individuals were injured.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violent attacks on campus. Students and members of the public must refrain from violence, especially on campus, and respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression, and university authorities must take reasonable measures to ensure safe conditions for living, learning, and expression for students. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, such actions undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.firstpost.com/world/bangladesh-protests-students-clash-over-death-of-medical-student-army-deployed-13838717.html
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/bangladesh-in-chaos-student-protests-over-medical-students-death-escalate-into-violence-2639603-2024-11-25
https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/778929