Police club agriculture students, injure 25 in Pabna

The incident has occurred near the Alhaj intersection, police say

Police have charged batons on agricultural diploma students who were blockading a road in Pabna’s Ishurdi Upazila, leaving at least 25 injured.

The incident took place around 2pm on Tuesday near the Alhaj intersection, according to Pranab Kumar, additional superintendent of police of the Ishurdi Circle.

Police said students of the Agricultural Training Institute began the blockade around 12.30pm, pressing eight demands. Traffic on Ishurdi–Rajshahi, Ishurdi–Dhaka and Ishurdi–Kushtia routes came to a standstill.

The nearly two-hour blockade triggered long tailbacks in both directions, leaving Russian officials and staff of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project stranded.

Witnesses said officers first urged the students to clear the road. A heated exchange followed, after which police moved in with batons.

With tensions rising, two platoons of Army personnel were deployed. The students later withdrew, and traffic resumed after about two hours.

Tanvir Islam, a student, said: “Police beat at least 25 students, causing serious injuries. The wounded are receiving treatment at Ishurdi Upazila Health Complex and other facilities.”

Fourth-semester student Rifat Jaman said, “If there is no justice for the attack, we will step up our movement. We may shut the campus indefinitely.”

Officer Pranab said the students had staged a similar blockade a day earlier. “We discussed their demands through the authorities and sent them back to campus after giving assurances.”

“[On Tuesday] they blocked the road again without any cause. Despite repeated requests, they refused to move, forcing police and Army personnel to clear the road to restore traffic,” he added.