The violent attacks by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) members on protesting students in multiple universities on Monday shocked the nation.

Images of injured female protesters circulated widely on social media, showing them fleeing the relentless beatings by BCL activists.

While clashes on university campuses are not uncommon, the attacks on injured students seeking treatment at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) were unprecedented.

Patients and visitors at DMCH were terrified as BCL activists stormed the emergency department twice on Monday evening, brutally attacking students involved in the quota reform movement.

More than 50 BCL members, armed with sticks and wearing helmets, forced their way into the emergency department, ignoring the pleas of security personnel.

The attacks created a bedlam as the hospital's main gate and other buildings were closed.

Patients seeking emergency care were panicked since mid-afternoon as injured student protesters, attacked by BCL activists at Dhaka University, were brought in, accompanied by other demonstrators.

Meanwhile, BCL members gathered on a nearby road while student protesters assembled near the hospital, further escalating the tension, several eyewitnesses recounted.

Hasan Abdullah, a patient, described the panic to The Daily Star,, saying, "Around 5:30 PM, people were running away from the hospital, and it was frightening."

Another patient, Rina Begum, witnessed a young man being assaulted in front of the emergency department. She expressed her outrage, stating, "An Ansar member tried to intervene. Attacks inside a hospital are never justified."

An anonymous Ansar member confirmed that many patients left the hospital before receiving treatment due to the fear caused by the attacks.

Brig Gen Md Asaduzzaman, director at DMCH, confirmed that the attacks disrupted hospital services.

"We bolstered staffing in the emergency department with additional nurses and doctors to handle the situation," he stated, highlighting that individuals injured from both factions were being treated.

Journalists were hindered by the assailants from documenting the incidents, and some had their phones checked.

Nahid Islam, one of the spokesperson of quota reform protesting students, told Bangla Outlook that they were shocked by the attack on injured students in the DMCH.

“I don’t know whether this has happened anywhere before,” said Nahid, “Even the injured students are not immune to heinous attack from the Chhatra League.”

Amnesty International strongly denounced the attacks on quota reform protesters at Dhaka University and other campuses, urging the government to immediately ensure their safety.

In a statement released on their South Asia Facebook page, Amnesty International condemned the violence that reportedly injured hundreds of students.

“The description of the violence against protestors is consistent with the kind of violence Amnesty has documented in the past, whereby individuals in civilian clothing, brandishing weapons like hammers, sticks, and clubs interrupted protests and beat up protestors,” reads the statement.

They urgently called on the Bangladeshi government to guarantee the safety of all peaceful protesters and provide proper treatment for the injured.

Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir strongly condemned the brutal attack on protesting students by Chhatra League members at Dhaka University.

In a statement, he accused the Awami League government of suppressing the student movement, comparing their approach to how they "steamroller" pro-democracy political parties.

Fakhrul denounced the "cowardly and heinous attack" on students at Dhaka University and other educational institutions, demanding punishment for the perpetrators.

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