Unsuccessful BCS examinees clash with cops; BCL men beat up protesters; 30 injured
Alleged Chhatra League activists beat up a youth on suspicion that he is a member of Islami Chhatra Shibir in front of the Dhaka University central mosque yesterday.
Several hundred unsuccessful BCS examinees and Dhaka University students, protesting the quota provision in public service recruitment, got locked into clashes with police on the campus and adjoining areas yesterday.
Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League, a pro-ruling party student body, also beat up the demonstrators at different places on the campus during the three-and-a-half-hour long chaos that left at least 30 injured.
Shahbagh police have picked up nine on the spots.
The protest that forced the Public Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday to reconsider the results of 34th BCS preliminary exam spread to six other public universities.
The demonstrators vandalised several vehicles, including two cars of private TV channels, DU registrar building, proctor office and sociology department.
The university authorities also filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station last night.
On Wednesday, several hundred protesters blocked the busy Shahbagh intersection for more than 11 hours demanding the results of 34th Bangladesh Civil Service preliminary exam be cancelled.
Held on May 24, more than 1.93 lakh out of 2,21,575 registered candidates took the exams. The results that came out on Tuesday declared only 12,033 qualified for the next stage.
The PSC held a meeting yesterday over the issue. “We will find out whether there was any error in the whole process,” said a PSC member, requesting anonymity.
Yesterday, as per their previous announcement, a group of 40-50 protesters assembled in front of Central Public Library at Shahbagh around 11:00am amid a police barricade, witnesses said.
A sculpture in front of the Fine Arts Institute is set alight during the violent demonstration demanding cancellation of the quota system at the BCS exams. Photo: Star
Another group of around 500 protesters marched towards Shahbagh from the Central Library and took position at the intersection, removing the barricade.
As they protesters ignored call for clearing the busy intersection, police baton-charged splitting them into three groups.
One group ran to nearby market of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujib Medical University while another to the public library and the last one towards the DU campus.
As police approached the campus, some protesters came out of the BSMMU market area and vandalised four to five vehicles, including an Ekattur TV car, near the intersection.
Other demonstrators in front of the fine arts faculty started pelting law enforcers with brick chips. They also dragged some structures used for Pahela Baishakh celebration onto the street and set those afire with police lobbing tear shell canisters.
As a running battle went on, the demonstrators vandalised two vehicles, including one of ATN Bangla, at 11:40am, leaving its driver injured.
A group of protesters attempted to vandalise vehicles at Nilkhet intersection at 11:50am. Police fired tear shells and rubber bullets at the demonstrators, said witnesses.
They vandalised two more vehicles near the vice-chancellor’s residence on their way back to campus at 12:00pm. They also threw brick chips at the gate of the house.
At that time, students of different dormitories gathered in front of VC’s residence and ransacked a guard’s office and flower tubs.
A youth hurling brick chips at police, not in frame, in front of Dhaka University Central Mosque during yesterday’s demonstration.
Then the demonstrators, divided into groups, brought out a procession near the arts faculty and a section of them moved to the Registrar Building, which houses VC office, around 12:20pm. They threw brick chips at the building.
In the meantime, a group of protesters damaged flower tubs and notice boards of proctor office and sociology department on the ground floor of DU arts faculty.
Afterwards, the protesters fleeing police tear shells near the DU central library came under attack by BCL leaders and activists at Madhur Canteen.
The pro-ruling party men, who were stationed there since morning, beat the agitators with sticks branding them as activists of Jamaat-Shibir. BCL activist also swooped on agitators in other places and brought out a procession chanting anti-Shibir slogans.
The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College while some received treatment DU medical centre.
After a while, the demonstrators gathered in front of VC’s residence. As contingent of 15-20 police approached, the demonstrators chased them quite a few yards and threw brickbats, prompting the law enforcers to fire tear shell at 1:15pm.
Some demonstrators threw brickbats at the house.
Then BCL leaders and activists rushed to the spot and drove them away from the campus. DU Acting Proctor Amzad Ali, who expressed solidarity to the demonstrators at Shahbagh on Wednesday, accompanied the BCL leaders.
DU VC Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique told The Daily Star that Shibir and Chhatra Dal instigated the violence to create anarchy.
Meanwhile, students of Jahangirnagar and Rajshahi universities blocked Dhaka-Aricha and Dhaka-Rajshahi highways while students of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Khulna University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) formed human chains demanding cancellation of the quota provision.
Source: The Daily Star
