DU students, Nilkhet traders clash

A group of Dhaka University (DU) students fought pitched battles with shop owners at the Nilkhet market on Saturday evening.

Several shops in Nilkhet, the biggest book market in Dhaka, were set on fire and vehicles vandalised on Saturday by the irate students.

At least 15 people, including students, vendors and two DU employees, were injured during the clash that lasted some 30 minutes.

They were admitted to DU Medical Centre and Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

Four of them were critical, DU Proctor Amzad Ali told bdnews24.com.

Police said the clashes broke out around 6 pm.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna division Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sardar told bdnews24.com that they controlled the situation in half an hour.

He said police had to fire rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse the warring groups.

Proctor Ali urged the traders to be alert to avert similar clash in future.

Witnesses said a heated argument had taken place between students of Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall and a vendor at Sonia Book House at Shahjalal Market over price of a book.

Shahjalal Book Market Association General Secretary Md Abu Zafar Miah told bdnews24.com that the vendor at Sonia Book House asked for Tk 60 charge when the students went there to change a book purchased 15 days ago.

At one point, the vendors and students were locked in a scuffle.

Students said vendors from several shops later detained a student, Noor Mohammad.

As the news reached the hall, other students rushed to the market.

But the booksellers fought back and chased them away.

Their action only provoked a furious reaction from the students as more than one hundred of them, brandishing sticks and metal rods, attacked the market.

The booksellers resisted until police came and separated them.

During the half-hour clash, several shops were torched and vehicle damaged.

Shahbagh Police Station OC Sirajul Islam told bdnews24.com that police first blocked the entrance to the university.

Then they fired several rounds of tear-gas shells to disperse the mob.

Shop owners said the Saturday clash was unprecedented at Nilkhet.

“I’ve been doing business here for 25 years. But I’ve never seen students torch shops here,” said fruit vendor Habibur Rahman.

Rahman, who supports his younger brother Farid Hossain’s studies at a Dhaka college, said he lost everything when his shop was burned down.

Another vendor Md Sabuj said the row took place inside the market. “But are why our shops burning. Where we’ll seek justice?” he asked.

The injured students are Sabbir Hossain (Social Science – first year), Abu Sayem (Bangla – first year), Shahadat Hossain (Bangla –first year), ‘Alim’ (Health Economics – first year), Noor Mohammad (Public Administration – first year), ‘Ismail’ (second year), ‘Sohan’ (English –first year), ‘Ashraful’ (Dramatics –first year), and ‘Shimul’ (International Relations – second year).

The injured DU employees are Babul Akhter and Abdul Karim of F Rahman Hall.

The identities of others injured could not be known immediately.