Police intercept protest march, arrest 17

Police yesterday detained at least 17 students when they were heading towards Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to submit a memorandum to the premier, demanding extension of age limit for government job to 35 from the existing 30.  

The law enforcers charged batons on them, leaving at least five students injured, claimed the agitating students, adding that three of the injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

A group of 500-600 students from different colleges and universities first started their scheduled sit-in programme in front of the national museum at Shahbagh in the capital around 11:00am.

After demonstrating there for an hour, they started moving towards PMO to submit the memorandum. But police intercepted them at Bangla Motor, and charged batons to disperse them.

Contacted, Azimul Haque, additional deputy commissioner (Ramna zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told The Daily Star that police had foiled the student gathering and detained 17 of them, as they were moving towards PMO blocking roads and causing sufferings for people.

No case has been lodged as of filing of this report at 7:00pm.

In the memorandum, the demonstrators said the students get only two to three years to take preparation for the government jobs after they complete their education at the age of 28.

Talking to The Daily Star, one of the demonstrators, Anisul Hoque, said, “As per the usual system, a student is supposed to complete his graduation by the age of 23. But it takes three to four years more to complete the graduation.”

“Besides, session jam caused by political unrests adds another hindrance to timely completion of study,” he said. In the present scenario, a student does not have enough time to compete for government jobs whereas the age limit to apply for civil service is 30, he added.

The demonstrators gave the police a 24-hour ultimatum to release the demonstrators or else they would go for a tougher movement.

They would also stage a protest rally at Shahbagh on March 31.