At least 15 students were wounded in gunbattles and clashes between rival groups trying to eject each other from dormitories in Dhaka university, Bangladeshi police and officials said. ''The situation here is still volatile,'' said a police officer guarding the campus.

Officials said the violence erupted after professor Anwarullah Chowdhury was named vice-chancellor of the university, which has a student body of 30,000 and a history of politically-fuelled violence.

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Police said at least 70 students had been killed and more than 500 hurt in clashes at the university in the past 30 years.

Chowdhury said he would take steps to free the campus from any kind of terrorism and restore peace.

University officials said violence broke out after members of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), sought to remove members of the rival Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) from four dormitories.

The BCL, the student front of the opposition Bangladesh Awami League led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said JCD activists attacked them with guns, home-made bombs and sticks a day after the new vice chancellor took office. On Monday authorities removed former vice chancellor A.K. Azad Chowdhury, who was known as a strong supporter of the Awami League. His successor is said to have the blessing of the BNP, headed by Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

Khaleda's government, which took charge on October 10, has removed the vice-chancellors of several universities across the country on Monday without assigning any reason.

Education ministry officials called the changes long overdue.

Police said they feared more clashes.

''Both the student groups have strong backing from their political mentors. They have guns, money and even protection from law,'' one police officer said.
Bureau Report