Later, escorted by truck-mounted Doublemooring thana police, the JCD leaders and activists brought out a procession outside the campus at Agrabad commercial area.

Minutes after the JCD procession left the area, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists of the college unit took out a procession in the same area, only to be dispersed and clubbed by the same police force.

Witnesses said at one stage of the showdown, Doublemooring thana Officer in-Charge (OC) Kamrul Hasan escorted JCD President Mosharraf Hossain Dipti, General Secretary Ahmedul Alam Chowdhury Rasel and others on the corridor to the office room of the college principal at around 11.00am. The JCD leaders had a brief talk with Principal Muhitun Nabi, the witnesses said.

During the JCD showdown, which lasted 20-minutes, BCL leaders and activists waited on the first floor corridor, keeping the collapsible gate under lock and key and chanting slogans.

JCD activists tried to break open the gate but police intervened to ward off any untoward incident.

Commerce College unit BCL President Helaluddin alleged that JCD was trying to "capture" the campus forcibly and spoil the congenial academic atmosphere there. "We won't let such things to happen on the campus," he said.

JCD secretary Rasel while contacted over cell phone said, "We want peaceful co-existence of all students' organisations and help create a real academic atmosphere, which was not there for long."

"Police were doing their duty, not assisting or escorting us. We didn't invite them," he added.

Neither the college principal nor the OC could be contacted over cell phone in the evening despite repeated attempts.

The duty officer at Doub-lemooring thana said, "Nothing happened at the college campus".

JCD had no organisational activities at the Commerce College, which is known as a stronghold of BCL.