Tensions flared at Rajshahi University on Saturday as students protesting the reinstatement of the quota system clashed with faculty and administrative officials, leading to scuffles and injuries.

Around 2:30 PM, students set fire to tires outside the administration building before surrounding Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Main Uddin’s residence at 3:30 PM. They blocked his car, threw coins in protest, and locked the gate, preventing him from entering.

Later, when Main Uddin and proctor Professor Mahbubur Rahman tried to enter the Zuberi Building, students again obstructed them, resulting in pushing and shoving. Several students and a few journalists sustained minor injuries during the altercations.

Speaking on the incident, proctor Mahbubur Rahman said, “While the protest itself is understandable, physically restraining officials and seizing personal belongings is unacceptable. My watch and Tk 10,000 went missing during the scuffle,” he claimed.

The unrest followed the university administration’s decision on September 18 to reinstate quota-based admission benefits for children of faculty, staff, and employees under certain conditions. Since then, protests by students and various student organizations have intensified, including sit-ins, symbolic hunger strikes, and marches on campus.

Among the most notable actions, students from multiple departments, including Islamic Studies, Social Work, and Arabic, staged individual and group hunger strikes, demanding the reversal of the quota decision.