BN Report
Six people were killed, and several hundred were injured on Tuesday as police and Chhatra League members confronted quota reform activists for the second consecutive day. The violence erupted in Dhaka, Chittagong, and Rangpur, with the identities of three of the deceased confirmed as Abu Sayeed, 22, a student from Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur; Wasim Akram, a student from Chittagong College; and Faruq, a pedestrian. The identities of the other three deceased remain unknown as of midnight.
Abu Sayeed was fatally shot while confronting police attempting to disperse the protesters with rubber bullets in Rangpur’s Lalbagh area around 2 p.m. He was taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital under police guard, where hospital sources confirmed that he succumbed to his injuries before arrival. Bullet marks were observed on his body. In response to the violence, the government deployed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and additional police personnel in Rangpur and other districts.
In Dhaka, BGB members and police took positions in front of Dhaka College’s main gate around 7 p.m. Riot police vehicles were also stationed on Mirpur Road in front of Dhaka College. Later that evening, two buses of Trans Silva Paribahan were set on fire near the National Press Club after several cocktail explosions. No casualties were reported initially.
Eyewitnesses reported that the buses were empty when they were torched around 8:25 p.m. Shortly after the fire started, police arrived at the scene. Following the daylong clashes, protesters announced a suspension of their activities on Wednesday in observance of Holy Ashura. Nahid Islam, a coordinator of the protest movement, stated that further actions would be decided after discussions with other coordinators. He urged Dhaka University students to remain vigilant in their dormitories and take charge of the halls, defying the Chhatra League.
Monday’s clashes had already left around 300 injured at Dhaka University alone, with another 60 students and teachers injured at Jahangirnagar University. The violence has shocked the nation. Students under the banner of the “Anti-Discrimination Student Movement” declared that they would not accept such brutality and were prepared to face the Chhatra League.
In response to the coordinators’ call, students from various public and private universities and colleges took to the streets again on Tuesday morning. They clashed with police when asked to clear the roads, and in some areas of Dhaka, members of Chhatra League and Jubo League attacked the protesters.
The BNP, Transparency International Bangladesh, and the Editors’ Council condemned the attacks and called for restraint. They demanded a proper investigation into the incidents and punishment for those responsible.
Protesters gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar at 4 p.m. as part of a pre-scheduled program, responding to recent assaults by Chhatra League members. They marched towards the VC Chattar of Dhaka University (DU), maintaining their position at the Shaheed Minar area until 8 p.m. Meanwhile, Chhatra League leaders and activists took positions at the Raju Sculpture and TSC area from 2 p.m., visibly armed with sticks, iron rods, and helmets.
In Dhaka, two people succumbed to injuries sustained during the protest rally at the Science Lab intersection. They died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where several teachers were also injured by protesters wielding sticks. Inspector Md Bachchu Mia, in charge of the DMCH hospital police outpost, confirmed the casualties.
Additionally, five members of Dhaka University’s Proctorial Body were injured in an alleged attack by protesters around 4 p.m. in front of the university’s Medical Center. The injured include Professor Dr. Mostafizur Rahman, Assistant Proctor Prof. Abdul Muhith, Associate Professor Dr. Farzana Ahmed Shanta, Associate Professor Dr. Hasan Faruq, and Assistant Professor Imamul Haq Sarkar Titu. Proctor Professor Maksudur Rahman stated that the protesters attacked them while they were trying to disperse outsiders from the Shaheed Minar area.
