Most students leave DU campus after clashes
Quota reform protesters left the Dhaka University campus this evening following clashes with police.
They left from the Nilkhet and Chankharpul intersections around 6:30pm, witnesses said.
Earlier, sporadic clashes took place between them and law enforcers, mainly police, for over two hours after 4:00pm.
At least 15 students were injured during the clashes as police fired rubber bullets, and lobbed tear gas shells and sound grenades at the quota protesters on the Dhaka University campus.
Cops also obstructed the demonstrators from performing funeral prayers in front of the Raju sculpture in TSC in the afternoon.
Later, they offered the prayers in front of the vice-chancellor's residence.
After the funeral, the students started a coffin procession on the campus, when police hurled sound grenades and tear gas shells on them one after another around 4:15pm near the Institute of Modern Language.
After the students dispersed, they gathered again in front of Surja Sen Hall.
Clashes then continued for an hour and police took position in front of the VC's residence. While one group of students positioned itself in front of the hall, another moved towards Nilkhet.
Those near the Surja Sen hall retaliated to the police's sound grenades and tear gas shells with brink chunks. After a while, they took shelter inside the hall around 5:30pm.
Police then took position in front of the hall when several DU teachers went there to negotiate with them, prompting them to stop lobbing shells and let the students leave the area.
Protesters then left the halls and some joined the group at Nilkhet around 6:00pm. Police restarted the firing of tear gas shells there, to which the students responded by throwing brick chunks and stones at them.
After about half an hour, the students left the area, witnesses said.
Meanwhile, another group of protesters, who were positioned in front of the Shahidullah Hall, clashed with police for two hours from 4:30pm, before they left the area.
Law enforcers then took total control of the campus, but some students, mostly females, were seen leaving with their luggage even till 8:00pm.
In another development, several hundred Chhatra League and Jubo League men were positioned in front of the National Museum in the capital's Shahbagh and New Market Police Station near Nilkhet this afternoon. Several leaders were heard delivering speeches on loud speakers at Shahbagh.
They searched bags and mobile phones of many students when they were leaving the campus through the two points and our correspondents saw them beating several of those found to be involved in the quota reform movement.
Comments