DU students clash with book traders

Books of street vendors at Nilkhet in the capital burn during a clash between the shopkeepers and students of Dhaka University yesterday. The clash ensued after a shop owner beat up a student of the university during an altercation over returning of a book. Photo: courtesy

At least 18 people, including 16 Dhaka University students, were injured in a clash between DU students and traders of Nilkhet book market over changing a book at a shop there yesterday afternoon.
Around eight bookstalls on the pavement by the market were torched and another eight vandalised during the clash.
Witnesses said some shopkeepers around 5:25pm beat up Noor, a first year student of public administration department, following an altercation with the student and his two friends at Sonia Medical Book Store over changing a book which Noor had bought earlier.
Hearing the news, over 100 students of Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall and Sir F Rahman Hall went to the market around 6:00pm and set fire to the bookstalls on the footpath.
Traders and employees of the market retaliated with hurling brick chunks at the students.
During the hour-long clash, traffic was halted in Nilkhet area and all the nearby markets were closed.
Abu Jafar Mia, general secretary of Shahjalal Book Market Samabay Samity, said some shopkeepers took the assaulted DU student to another shop to save him from further beating.  

Police with a riot car trying to control the situation. Photo: courtesy

Police went to the spot and fired teargas shells to quell the disturbances. Firefighters from nearby fire station doused the blaze.
No one was detained in connection with the incident as of midnight, said Yasin Arafat, officer-in-charge of New Market Police Station.
Dhaka University acting proctor Prof Amzad Ali said they will try to settle the issue through discussions with the market authorities.
The injured received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and the university medical centre.