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“We have taken additional precautions to avoid any kind of conflict centred around the Shahbagh and New Market areas,” says a police official
Published : 27 Jan 2025, 12:47 PM
Additional police personnel have been deployed and law enforcers are “on alert” in different parts of the capital after late-night clashes between students from Dhaka University and the university’s seven affiliated colleges.
Large numbers of police personnel could be seen in the Shahbagh, Nilkhet, and New Market areas on Monday morning. Water cannons, armoured vehicles, and prison vans are at the ready.
Additional police personnel have also been deployed around the seven affiliate colleges.
“We have taken additional precautions to avoid any kind of conflict centred around the Shahbagh and New Market areas,” said Md Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of police for the Ramna Division.
Mohsin Uddin, chief of New Market Police Station, said: “Additional forces have been deployed at the Nilkhet intersection, New Market intersection, the Dhaka College and Science Laboratory areas.”
The clash between the students started around 11pm on Sunday and continued into the wee hours of Monday morning.
Police fired sound grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets to try and bring the situation under control amid back-and-forth chases and counter-chases between the two sides. At one stage, four platoons of the BGB joined the police in attempting to restore order.
Students of the seven affiliated colleges had blocked Shahbagh, Science Lab and Technical intersection in the capital on Sunday evening to push for a five-point list of demands. They also demanded a “public apology” from Dhaka University Pro Vice-Chancellor Mamun Ahmed for allegedly “insulting them” when they went to speak about the process of turning the colleges into an independent university.
At one point, the group began a march from the Science Lab intersection towards the residence of the pro-vice-chancellor. Later, students from various halls of Dhaka College joined them.
At one stage, when they reached the Mukti and Ganatantra Toron areas of the Dhaka University campus through the Nilkhet intersection, they came face-to-face with Dhaka University students and a clash broke out.
Accusing the police of "bias" and demanding justice for all those involved in the attack, the students of the seven colleges announced that they would block the roads in front of their respective colleges from 9am on Monday.
Under the circumstances, the Dhaka University administration has announced that classes and exams will be postponed on Monday. All final exams of the seven colleges have also been postponed.
Mohammad Maksuder Rahman, deputy commissioner of police in the Mirpur Division, said that extra preparations will be made as one of the seven colleges - Government Bangla College – is in his jurisdiction.
He said, "We are monitoring the situation. Measures will be taken as needed. We are prepared, and if a situation arises, we hope we can handle the situation peacefully."
Rasel Sarwar, chief of Banani Police Station, said “Additional forces have been deployed in front of Titumir College. The students are inside, we are outside."
The four other colleges - Eden College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, and Begum Badrunnesa Government Women's College - are located in the centre of Old Dhaka, so additional police personnel will be on duty at various points, said Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Jasim Uddin.
He said, "We are prepared as usual today due to last night's clash with the students of seven colleges. Additional forces have also been deployed."
Inspector Md Faruk, chief of Dhaka Medical College Hospital Police Outpost said that 20 people were injured in the clashes between the two student factions and the police last night.
He said, "Among the injured are students, pedestrians and journalists. They received treatment at the hospital's emergency department last night."
The injured have been identified as Ripon Chowdhury, Irfan, a pedestrian named Ujjal, Ashraf, Mehedi, Faisal Ahmed, Saad, Hridoy, Mahin, Ismail, Imtiaz, Bangladesh Times journalist Tofail Ahmed, Ujjal, Ibrahim, Rishad, Miraj, Amanullah, Himu, Sabbir Hossain and Rakib.
