The Dhaka College authorities have suspended academic activities after students clashed with shopkeepers outside New Market in the wee hours of Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, its acting principal said all classes and exams scheduled for Tuesday have been postponed. All teachers have been told to be on the campus by 10am. The clash erupted just after 12 midnight after three students were assaulted by shopkeepers following an altercation, media reports said citing Dhaka College students.

A number of shops were vandalized and several traders were also physically assaulted in the attack, the students added. The intense situation persisted for around two and a half hours with running battles taking place during the time on the Mirpur Road.

Traffic came to a halt in the area as both sides set fire to tyres and other things on the streets. They threw brickbats at each other. Police had to fire tear gas to quell the violence.

Around 2:30am, the students went back to the campus and the traders returned home, Sharif Mohammad Faruquzzaman, an assistant commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told an  He, however, could not say what led to clashes.