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Published : 09 Nov 2025, 02:20 AM
Assistant teachers from government primary schools have gathered at Central Shaheed Minar, holding a candlelight vigil to protest a police attack on demonstrators campaigning for 10th-grade pay.
The demonstration began shortly after Saturday midnight, with teachers condemning the assault and calling for the release of allegedly detained colleagues and proper medical treatment for the injured.
Muhammad Shamshuddin Mashud, convenor of the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council, told bdnews24.com that over 150 teachers were wounded during the police crackdown and are receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College and PG Hospital.
“This vigil is a protest against the attack. From Sunday, all primary schools will observe a work stoppage, and our sit-in will continue until our demands are met,” he said.
Among the participants was Khairun Nahar Lipi, general secretary of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association (Shahin-Lipi), who was injured in the police action and brought to the demonstration on a stretcher.
Besides the implementation of 10th-grade pay, the teachers’ other demands include resolving promotion complications after 10 and 16 years of service and securing full divisional promotions.
Teachers leading the protests claimed that five of their colleagues had been detained and were on a hunger strike at Shahbagh Police Station.
They identified the detainees as Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman, Md Abdul Qader, Md Nurul Islam (Liton), Md Shariful Islam, and Md Sohel.
Police, however, denied the arrests. Khaled Monsur, chief of Shahbagh Police, told bdnews24.com just after midnight that no teachers had been formally detained and none were on hunger strike.
The clashes erupted earlier on Saturday afternoon. Teachers staged a sit-in at Shaheed Minar from morning, advocating their three-point charter of demands.
Around 3:30pm, they marched toward Shahbagh to conduct a symbolic “pen surrender”. Police blocked the march near Shahbagh Police Station at 4pm, dispersing the crowd using stun grenades, water cannons, batons, and tear gas.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police stated that a group of protesters tried to break through a barricade and advance toward the State Guest House Jamuna. Officers said some demonstrators pelted stones, injuring multiple police personnel, prompting the use of further crowd-control measures.
Despite the police action, teachers returned to Shaheed Minar in the evening and announced a nationwide, indefinite work stoppage starting Sunday, vowing to continue their sit-in until all demands -- including the release of colleagues and medical treatment for the injured -- are fully addressed.
