DHAKA/RAJSHAHI — An attempted murder case has been filed against nine leaders of the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) and Islami Chhatra Shibir, including RUCSU General Secretary Salahuddin Ammar and Assistant General Secretary SM Salman Sabbir, over the alleged assault on a student inside Rajshahi University’s Central Library earlier this week.
The complaint, filed on Thursday before the Cognizance Court of Motihar in Rajshahi district, accuses the named individuals and 17 to 18 unidentified persons of attempting to kill Mahmudul Hasan, a university student who was seriously injured during the incident.
The case was filed by M. S. Azad Uz Zaman, the victim’s father.
According to the complainant’s lawyer, Hazrat Ali, the court did not immediately pass any substantive order after taking cognizance of the complaint. Instead, it directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the allegations before taking further action.
“The court has accepted the complaint but has not issued any immediate order. It has sent the matter to the Police Bureau of Investigation for inquiry,” Hazrat Ali told reporters outside the court on Thursday.
Nine Named Accused
Besides RUCSU GS Salahuddin Ammar and AGS SM Salman Sabbir, the named accused include RUCSU Information and Research Secretary BM Nazmus Sakib, Deputy Information and Research Secretary Sifat Abu Saleh, Shahid Ziaur Rahman Hall GS Ariful Islam, Shahid Habibur Rahman Hall Vice President Ahsan Ullah Farhan, Nawab Abdul Latif Hall GS Nurul Islam Shahid, Rajshahi University unit Chhatra Shibir Media and Publicity Secretary Mehedi Sajib, and Campus Monitoring Coordinator and University Senate student representative Fahim Reza.
The complaint also names 17 or 18 unidentified individuals.
Allegations of a Coordinated Assault
According to the complaint, the attack took place between approximately 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. on July 27 while Mahmudul Hasan was inside the university’s Central Library.
The complainant alleged that a group of 19 to 20 people surrounded the student while carrying iron rods, bamboo sticks, canes and other locally made weapons before launching what the complaint describes as a coordinated assault with the intention of killing him.
The first information report (FIR) alleges that Salahuddin Ammar repeatedly struck Mahmudul Hasan on the head and forehead with an iron rod. Other accused allegedly beat him across different parts of his body with iron rods and bamboo sticks, inflicting serious injuries.
The complaint further alleges that several attackers later threw him to the ground, pressed on his chest and neck, and attempted to suffocate him.
According to the complaint, local residents and volunteers initially rescued the injured student and placed him in an ambulance. However, the attackers allegedly pulled him out of the vehicle and assaulted him again in what the complainant describes as repeated attempts to kill him.
Those allegations have not yet been tested in court, and no findings of fact have been made by the investigating authorities.
Father Alleges Police Refused to Register Complaint
The complaint also alleges that the family initially sought to file a criminal case with Motihar Police Station but was turned away.
According to the petition submitted before the court, Mahmudul Hasan’s father went to the police station on July 28 to lodge a case, but the Officer-in-Charge allegedly declined to record it and advised him to seek legal remedy through the court.
Speaking to reporters, Azad Uz Zaman said he first learned about the assault through Facebook around 5:30 p.m. on the day of the incident before rushing to the hospital.
“I came to know about the attack through Facebook. Later I went to the hospital and found my son undergoing treatment,” he said.
He also alleged that when he approached Motihar Police Station the following day, police refused to register the complaint and instead advised him to file the case through the court.
Police had not publicly responded to those allegations at the time of publication.
Assault Followed Earlier Campus Tensions
The attempted murder case stems from a series of violent confrontations that unfolded across the Rajshahi University campus on July 27.
According to multiple media reports, three students were assaulted in phases at the university’s Proctor’s Office and later inside the Central Library following an earlier dispute linked to allegations involving another student. Video footage circulated on social media appeared to show groups entering the library and assaulting students inside the reading room, prompting widespread criticism from student organizations.
Witnesses and university sources told local media that Mahmudul Hasan was among the students who were repeatedly assaulted. Reports also alleged that he was attacked again while being transported for medical treatment after being removed from an ambulance.
The incident drew condemnation from several student organizations, which described the assaults as “mob violence” and demanded an impartial investigation and accountability for those responsible. The university subsequently formed an inquiry committee to investigate the events.
Injured Students Later Arrested
Following the assault, Mahmudul Hasan and another injured student, Anas Ahmed, were shown arrested in a previously filed case under the Anti-Terrorism Act relating to alleged activities linked to the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League.
Both were later produced before a court, which ordered them to be sent to jail. They remain in judicial custody while receiving legal process in that case.
The newly filed attempted murder case will now be investigated by the Police Bureau of Investigation before the court determines whether to proceed with formal criminal charges against the accused.
