At least 57 people, including seven photojournalists, were injured in attacks by police and miscreants in the capital as the student movement continued for the 8th consecutive day on Sunday to press for a nine-point demand, including ensuring safe roads and resignation of the Shipping Minister.
Students took to the streets in several places of the capital and a number of places across the country.
In the morning, several thousand university students blocked Shahbagh intersection, protesting Saturday’s attacks on school and college students in Jigatala during their demonstrations demanding safe roads.
The students of Dhaka University, Dhaka Medical College and Bangladesh University of Science of Technology (Buet) gathered at Shahbangh intersection around 11am and blocked the road, disrupting the vehicular movement.
Later, they brought out a rally which marched towards the Since Laboratory intersection.
When they reached the Since Laboratory intersection, police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse them.
A group of youths, believed to be Bangladesh Chhatra League activists, equipped with sharp weapons and sticks also joined the law enforcers.
A chase and counter-chase took place at that time, leaving at least 50 people injured.
Meanwhile, the youths also swooped on some photojournalists around 1:30 pm while they were taking snaps of the attack on students, leaving seven of them injured.
Students also took position in Uttara House Building area around 12 pm, protesting the attacks.
Besides, students of East West University took position in Rampura Bridge area around 1 pm.
Teachers of Dhaka University (DU) and Jahangirnagar Universities (JU) also protested the attacks on students at Jigatala and demanded resignation of Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan.
They made the demands at a press conference organised under the banner of “Teachers against Repression” held at the DU TSC.
Around JU 2,000 students brought out a protest rally from the Central Shaheed Minar premises of the university around 11 am which paraded different streets on the campus.
Later, they took position on the Dhaka-Aricha highway, halting traffic for one hour.
In Sylhet, students of different schools and colleges took to the streets and took position on Central Shaheed Minar premises around 1 pm halting vehicular movement on Chouhatta-Zindabazar road.
The students of Shahjalal University of Science of Technology (SUST) enforced a strike on the campus protesting Saturday’s attacks on students at Jigatala.
In Rajshahi, students of Rajshahi University (RU) brought out a silent procession on the campus and blocked Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway at Talaimari road around 11 am, disrupting traffic.
Meanwhile, students of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet) also took position on Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway.
In Chattogram, two students, who took part in the demonstrations, were handed over to police allegedly by Bangladesh Chhatra League men from Wasa intersection on the allegation that they are Shibir activists.
Protesting students alleged that while a good number of students from different schools and colleges staged demonstrations in the morning, the BCL leaders and activists along with police personnel resisted them.
Meanwhile, being assured that their nine-point demand will be implemented, students of Chattogram district on Sunday vowed to join their classes from Monday.
The protesting students took the decision after Deputy Commissioner of the district Ilias Hossain made the assurance while addressing a meeting held at the DC office in the afternoon.
The DC promised to augment the number of BRTC buses and ensure speed-breakers and traffic police in front every educational institution in the city in accordance with the students’ demands.
In Patuakhali, a female schoolteacher from Dewakhali village in Kalapara upazila was arrested on Sunday morning for ‘spreading rumour’ on Facebook over the movement for safer roads.
Meanwhile, a court here on Sunday put actress Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed on a four-day remand over spreading rumours on Facebook over attack on protesting students in a case filed under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act.
Meanwhile, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad expressed his solidarity with the ongoing widespread movement of students and said the innocent students launched the protests on the roads and earned their demands.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Sunday directed the principals of government and private colleges of Dhaka to convince their students to vacate roads and return to their classes at any cost.
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader alleged that BNP and its collaborators are engaged in a conspiracy to topple the government cashing in on the non-political movement of students.
On July 29, Diya Khanam Mim and Abdul Karim Rajib, students of the college section of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin School and College, were killed as a ‘Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan’ bus ploughed through some students in front of Kurmitola General Hospital on Airport Road which sparked off protests among the students across the country.
Source – UNB