<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">At least 20 students of Chittagong University (CU) were injured after being hit by hanging branch of a tree when they were returning to campus riding on the train's roof due to overcrowding.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The accident occurred on Thursday night.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sixteen out of the injured students are undergoing treatment at different wards of the city’s Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nurul Alam Asheque, in-charge of the CMCH police outpost, said three students are undergoing treatment in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), two at surgery ward and the rest at casualty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eight out of the admitted students were identified as Amzad Hossain Sohag, 18, Taijul Islam, 21, Khalilur Rahman, 22, Aunginu Marma, 21, Abu Sayeed, 24, Mohammad Sun, 21, Aslam, 22 and Rafsan, 23.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On being informed, CU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shireen Akhter rushed to the CMCH and assured the students that the university administration will stand by them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She also directed the hospital authority to ensure better treatment to the students.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As per the regular schedule, the university-bound shuttle train carrying over 2, 000 students left the city’s New Market Station at 8:30pm on Thursday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Risking lives, some students were seen riding on the train roof due to lack of seats in the train’s bogies.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As the train arrived in Fatehabad area under Hathazari upazila, some students fell off the train after being hit by a branch of the tree which was hanging low due to rains.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moazzem Hossain, a first year student of the university’s Public Administration, told UNB that three students fell off the train’s roof after being hit by the branch of the tree when the train was crossing Chowdhuryhat area around 9pm.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moreover, some 15 to 20 were injured in the incident and eight students were in critical condition, he said, narrating the incident that most of the students sustained injuries in their heads and faces.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Enraged by the incident, the CU students vandalised the campus's police outpost, shops, their valuables including chairs and tables and set fire on tyres in front of the Zero Point of the university.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At one stage, they also moved to the bungalow of the university’s VC and also went on rampage there, creating panic on the campus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ratan Kumar Chowdhury, manager of Chattogram Railway Station, said that students are always asked not to ride on the train’s roof due to lack of safety but they are indifferent to the instruction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the accident, the train carrying the students reached the campus, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr Md Morshedul Alam, assistant proctor of the CU, said some 15 to 20 students were critically injured as they fell off the train roof after being hit by the tree’s branch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two shuttle trains carrying students between the campus and the New Market Station daily.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moreover, movement of demu trains was suspended due to lack of manpower after the Covid-19 pandemic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The number of trains and their bogies did not increase to meet the growing number of students every year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Currently around 28, 000 students study in the university. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>