Paramedical students clash with cops, vandalise vehicles
30 hurt, 30 held in Shahbagh during their demo demanding higher studies
Paramedical students clashed with police in the capital's Shahbagh for several hours yesterday injuring at least 30 people including law enforcers.
Police fired around 50 teargas canisters, charged batons and used water cannons to disperse the students who threw brick chips at the law enforcers and vandalised at least 10 buses and private cars stuck on a road in the area.
The clash ensued when police swooped on the students of Medical Assistant Training School (MATS) after they broke several police barricades while heading to the Prime Minister's Office to submit a memorandum to realise their four-point demand, said witnesses.
The demands are ensuring opportunities for higher studies after diploma degree, employment at the community clinics with a new pay scale, internship allowance and an independent medical education board.
The MATS students, under the banner of Bangabandhu Diploma Medical Student's Association, staged a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar since morning in support of their demands.
Around noon, they started marching towards the PMO and on their way broke several police barricades. Police lobbed tear gas canisters and used water cannons to disperse them and detained several students from the spot.
Being dispersed, most of the students took position on the Dhaka University campus and demonstrated against police action.
Meantime, a section of students started breaking glasses of vehicles with sticks, creating panic among the passersby and people who came for treatment at the nearby hospital, witnesses said.
Arifullah, one of the protesters from MATS, said police attacked them without any reasons. “We were demonstrating peacefully.”
Contacted, Maruf Hossain Sarder, deputy commissioner (Ramna division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said, “It is not permitted to go to the PMO with such a large number of people. Students can send their representatives.”
The diploma medical students said they will continue the demonstration until their demands are met.
There are eight government and 201 private medical assistant training institutions in the country which provide four-year diploma degree in medical training, said Dipak Rai, a leader of the student association.
Meanwhile, leaders and activists of Bangladesh Samajtantrik Chhatra Front were trying to cross the Shahbagh intersection around 1:30pm to lay siege to the University Grants Commission (UGC) office in Agargaon, protesting what they say “education business” in the name of night courses and demanding more research grants.
Police foiled their attempt using tear gas canisters and charged batons on them. After a chase and counter-chase between police and the activists, the protesters left the Shahbagh area around 4:30pm and staged a sit-in at Central Shaheed Minar.
Police said they detained some 30 students for interrogation. At least 15 people including two female police members took treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.