Comilla University on Sunday announced closure of residential halls and postponed all of its upcoming examinations from October 10 to October 17 following clashes between two factions of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, student wing of the ruling Awami League.

Male students were instructed to vacate the halls by 6:00pm Sunday and female students by 9:00am today, according to a notice issued by the university. 

The university administration took the decision in an emergency meeting held on Sunday to bring the situation under control, registrar (acting) Md Amirul Haque Chowdhury told New Age.

He said that the university was on vacation till October 9 due to Puja and other occasions.

Classes will resume on October 10, but all scheduled examinations between October 10 and October 17 will be postponed, said Amirul.

The halls will remain closed until further notice considering the prevailing situation, said a notice by the university authorities on Sunday.

The university students and teachers said that there had been tension and violence between BCL factions for the last two days following dissolution of the university unit BCL committee.

The central committee of Chhatra League dissolved Comilla University committee on Friday midnight.

After the committee was dissolved, a faction of BCL staged an armed showdown on Saturday, entering the university campus with dozens of motorbikes, which created panic among the students.

The sound of opening firearms and blasting crude bombs was also noticed on the campus.

The conflict began when leaders and activists of the former committee came out of the halls with local weapons, sticks, and rods, according to teachers of the university.

The clashes and tension forced the university authorities to vacate its dormitories.

Registrar Amirul said that the situation was calm and under control on Monday.

The BCL leaders and activists have been in factional clashes at different higher educational institutions in recent months and are attacking opposition student organisations.

The BCL put blockade on the Chittagong University campus for at least three times in past three months, reported New Age Chattogram correspondent.

The latest incident of blockade was on September 19 by a faction of the Chittagong University unit BCL, putting no-confidence in the unit president, Rezaul Hoque Rubel, and general secretary, Iqbal Hossain Tipu.

On September 25, at least 15 activists of the Eden College unit BCL were injured in a clash on the college campus as a faction came up with allegations against the college unit president, Tamanna Jasmine Riva, and general secretary Razia Sultana.

Allegations had it that Riva and Razia were involved in seat trading, extortion, torturing students, controlling college hostels and canteens.

Later, the BCL central committee suspended all activities centring the Eden College unit committee expelling 16 members of the ‘rebel group’ permanently.

Earlier on September 27 afternoon, at least 15 leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal were injured in an attack by the Chhatra League leaders and activists on the Dhaka University campus when a delegation of newly elected JCD leaders was going to attend a pre-scheduled meeting with the DU vice-chancellor.

The ruling party students swooped on the JCD leaders with iron rods, cricket stumps and sticks in front of Sir AF Rahman Hall, victims alleged.