JnU football final descends into clashes; 30 hurt including teachers and journalists

A dispute over the inter‑department football final at Jagannath University spiraled into repeated clashes between two groups, leaving at least 30 people injured, including teachers, students, and journalists. The confrontation broke out around 12:30pm on Thursday, 5 February, at the university’s central sports ground in Dhupkhola.

The injured were taken to National Medical College in Old Dhaka. Injured journalists include Limon Islam (Amar Desh), Rakibul Islam (The Daily Star), Fatema Ali (Desh Rupantor), Sohan Farazi (Ajker Patrika), Shihab (Dainikal), Sohanur Rahman Subel (Barta24), Tousin, Naim, Rakib, and Majhar. University officials injured include Assistant Proctor Mohammad Saleh Uddin and Islamic Studies faculty members Mohammad Khairul Islam and Nazmus Saqib. Names and departments of injured students were not immediately available.

Witnesses said the final match between the Islamic Studies and Journalism departments went to a tiebreaker after regulation time. Tension flared during the shootout, leading to clashes that reignited several times. Teachers and journalists present at the ground were also caught up and injured during the fighting.