Students of Dhaka University and members of Ansar on Sunday locked in a clash at the Bangladesh Secretariat, leaving at least a dozen of people injured.
Witnesses said the students from different halls of Dhaka University gathered at the Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture at TSC in the evening after a news spread that a group of Ansar members detained Nahid Islam, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and adviser to the interim government, and the movement leaders Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah.
The agitating students went to the Secretariat area with a procession and chanted slogans urging all to resist the Ansar members and termed them ‘agents of autocracy.’
At one stage, the students and Ansar members chased each other and locked in the clash at about 9:00pm.
Police fired several sound grenades to bring the situation under control, said the witnesses.
The clash ensued as members of the Ansar refused to withdraw their protest despite the interim government’s assurance of abolishing the ‘rest tradition’ in the force.
The students chased the Ansar members who blocked the Secretariat from the Press Club-Secretariat side.
Earlier, a representative of the protesting Ansar members said they suspended their protest for a week on the assurance.
According to sources, the decision to abolish the ‘rest tradition’ came after Adviser to Home Affairs Lt Gen (rtd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury held an hour-long meeting with seven-member representatives of the demonstrating Ansar members at the secretariat.
A high official of the home ministry said the Ansar members prevented the home adviser and other officials from leaving the secretariat. They were forced to return to the office again.
“The adviser called an emergency meeting to address the situation around 8:00pm. A good number of the officials remain confined at the secretariat,” he added.
Adviser to the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Farida Akhter, Information, Adviser to the Post, Telecommunication and ICT Ministry Nahid Islam, Adviser of the Youth, Sports, Labour and Employment Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, joined the meeting among others, said sources.
