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Published : 19 Apr 2022, 11:26 AM
Around 10:30 am, students of the college descended on the streets to hold a human-chain protest against the actions of the traders the night before. But their presence drew shopkeepers onto the streets and the two sides, armed with staffs, rods and brickbats, squared off again.
Thousands of workers gathered on the road while Dhaka College students took up positions in front of the college gate and on the roofs of their residential halls.
The two sides then faced off, with groups chasing each other and throwing brickbats. Explosions could also be heard in the area from time to time.
Around 11:45 am, an ambulance with a patient inside was vandalised near the New Market foot-overbridge. Several people on both sides were injured and bloodied in the skirmishes.
Police arrived at the scene around 12:50 pm with an armoured vehicle and a water cannon to quell the violence.
Asked about the delayed response from police, Deputy Commissioner Sajjadur Rahman of DMP's Ramna Division said efforts were being made to resolve the conflict through discussions.
Traffic from New Market to the Science Laboratory intersection and surrounding areas have ground to a halt because of the clashes. The violence has also led to the closure of at least 75 shops in the area during the busy festive shopping period, much to the dismay of store owners.
"We returned home at around 4 am after calming everyone down. We promised students that there won't be any problems with traders again," said Shahin Ahmed, president of the New Market Shop Owners' Association.
"But in the morning, the students began blockading the road. As a result, traders at Chandni Chawk, Gausia and other markets came together and clashed with the students.”
'Razzaq', a traffic policeman on duty at the New Market intersection, said traffic is being diverted from the area as the main road is closed. It has put pressure on all the surrounding roads, creating intense congestion near Nilkhet.
WHAT STARTED THE VIOLENCE?
Asked how the clashes began, a shop worker named Bablu said that there had been an argument over a bill at a fast-food store near New Market’s Gate-4.
The students came and vandalised the stores in the area, he said, and the clash began when store owners tried to put a stop to it.
Students, meanwhile, claimed that three of them went shopping at the market when they got into an altercation with the shopkeepers and were assaulted.
Store owners say at least 75 shops in the area are closed due to the violence.
Traffic is also at a halt in New Market and its surrounding areas because of the clashes.
Dhaka College has suspended classes and examinations.
Several people, including law enforcers, were injured in the initial clash. Police fired tear gas shells to quell the violence but they could not say what had sparked the skirmish.
