The protesters allege that they came under attack when they entered the premises to meet the chairman
Published : 20 Oct 2024, 06:51 PM
A group of students has staged a protest at the Dhaka Board of Intermediate and Higher Secondary Education offices to demand a re-evaluation of their exam results, which they allege were unfairly assessed.
On Sunday, a mix of students who both passed and failed this year's HSC and equivalent exams marched from the Central Shaheed Minar to the board offices under the banner of "HSC Batch-2024".
By 1pm, they had entered the board premises to press for a review of results across all subjects.
As they attempted to meet the chairman of the Dhaka Education Board, the students were blocked by the police at the main gate.
The situation escalated when the students forced their way through the gate and onto the board premises.
The protesters later alleged that some of them were attacked after they entered the premises to meet with the chairman.
Despite some protesters allegedly suffering injuries, the demonstration continued.
Rezaul Hossain, chief of Chawkbazar Police Station, said a scuffle broke out when the students attempted to enter the chairman's office.
“They are still inside. We are engaging with the students. Discussions are also taking place between the students and the board authorities to resolve the matter,” he said at 4:30pm.
Addressing claims of an assault on the protesters, he said, “The students were barred from entering the chairman's room where important documents are kept. This led to minor confrontations, and I've been informed of some injuries.”
Hossain assured that despite the protests, the situation was stable.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the results, Alif Ahmed, a business studies student from Shaheed Sohrawardy College, said, "Students from the Sylhet board only took one exam, while we took seven. Yet our results were disappointing. When we came here to request a re-evaluation of our exam papers, we were blocked by the police at the gate."
"After we broke through the gate and reached the chairman’s office, several individuals inside launched an unexpected attack on us, resulting in injuries to some of us."
Ahmed warned that the protests would continue if their exam papers were not properly re-evaluated.
"Our papers were not thoroughly checked. The results were based on estimates made through an app. We will continue our protest if our papers are not re-assessed."
Efforts to reach Prof Tapan Kumar Sarkar, the chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Higher Secondary Education, for comment have so far been unsuccessful.