The nurses came under police attack as they were holding the rally at about 12:15pm, protesting the authorities' move to appoint in government hospitals 177 nurses, who passed from private nursing institutes.

The agitating nurses demand that nurses passing from government-run nursing institutes only be appointed in public hospitals.

Of the injured, seven were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH . They are Salma, Maksuda, Samia and Tajrin Yasmin -- all aged 20-- Momtaz, 21 and Saif Hossain Rony and Anwar Hossain, both aged 22. Saif and Anwar were stated to be in critical condition.

Nearly 800 unemployed and student nurses under the banner of Bangladesh Unemployed Diploma Nurses Association (BUDNA) and Bangladesh Diploma Student Nurses Association (BDNSA) jointly brought out a procession from the outdoor wing of the DMCH at about 11:30am yesterday.

Police intercepted the procession when it reached Doel Chattar. But breaking the police cordon, the procession marched forward to be intercepted by police again near the old high court.

The demonstrators then started holding a rally on the road. But police baton charged them. The nurses then went unruly, blocking the nearby roads and damaging a microbus. As a result, traffic movement in the area was disrupted for about two hours.

Later, the demonstrators left the place and went to the Central Shaheed Minar on assurance from senior police officials that action would be taken against those responsible for the attack on them.

The strikers held a rally at the Shaheed Minar, demanding punishment of policemen involved in the attack within 24 hours and steps to ensure proper treatment of the injured.

Meanwhile, sufferings of patients at the DMCH and Mitford Hospital continued for the second consecutive day yesterday due to the student nurses' indefinite strike from Tuesday.

"As an orthopaedic patient, I need nursing badly. But no nurse attended me in the last two days," said Abdus Salam, who is undergoing treatment at the DMCH for his broken legs.