According to campus sources, the BCL brought out the procession as part of its declared programme at about 11:00am.

The BCL, student front of main opposition Awami League, was observing a seven-day programme demanding immediate removal of the vice-chancellor (VC) for 'mass recruitment' at the university.

Yesterday, the BCL was scheduled to stage a sit-in in front of the VC's office.

But the JCD, student wing of the ruling BNP, equipped with firearms and various lethal weapons attacked the BCL procession in front of the administrative building at around 11:30am.

Around 100 JCD cadres took part in the attack. They chased the BCL men out of the campus.

They also fired several shots.

About nine BCL activists were injured, of them the condition of one Ashraful Islam was serious, said President of IU unit of BCL Keramat over cell phone.

Police were deployed on the campus but they remained inactive during the clash.

Later, angry BCL men ransacked one IU transport at Sheikhpara Bazar, adjacent to the campus, when it was going to Jhenidah town.

They also barricaded Khulna-Kushtia highway for about half an hour.

The BCL called an indefinite strike at the university from today.

Kushtia and Jhenidah units of BCL have extended support to the strike.

The university reopened on June 11 after a long 20 days of unscheduled closure since May 20.

The university was closed down following rampage by IU and Kushtia units of JCD as the university authorities failed to fulfil their demand with regard to recruitment of 200 people.

On May 18, the university authorities appointed 88 people most of whom were JCD and ICS activists (Islami Chhatra Shibir, student front of Jamaat) against 53 circulated post.

Different organisations including the BCL chalked out programmes to protest the mass recruitment saying it is an extra burden on the university which has already a Tk 10 crore budget deficit.