50 injured as Ansars clash with students

Despite the government's assurance of fulfilling their demands, ansar members continued demonstration by blocking the Secretariat gates yesterday and clashed with students and people.

At least 50 people were injured.

The clash broke out around 9:20pm as the students and the people tried to drive away the demonstrators demanding nationalisation of their jobs, said witnesses.

During the clash, the groups hurled brick chunks at each other and chased each other.

At least 40 injured took treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital till 11:00pm, said Bachchu Mia, inspector of DMCH police outpost.

Hasnat Abdullah, one of the conveners of Anti-discrimination Student Movement, was also injured during the clash.

Critically wounded Asif Hawladar, Dhaka University correspondent of Prothom Alo, was undergoing treatment at a city hospital.

The situation turned violent after over a thousand students and others, many of them equipped with sticks, went to the Secretariat, hearing that Ansar members blocked the Secretariat even after getting assurance of fulfilling their demand, said witnesses.

Several conveners of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement asked students to gather at the Raju Memorial Sculpture to march towards the Secretariat. Terming the Ansar members "agents of autocracy", the students started marching towards the Secretariat around 9:00pm. 

Ansar members demonstrating in front of the Secretariat yesterday to press home their various demands, including nationalisation of their jobs. Photo: Amran Hossain

When they reached the Secretariat, there were chases and counter-chases between ansar members and students.

At one stage, students and others were able to drive away the ansar members around 9:45pm, witnesses said.

Later, army personnel were seen at the spot. The situation started getting normal after 10:00pm, and Gate-3 of the Secretariat was opened at 10:30pm so that officials who were stuck inside could go home, said witnesses.

After the clash, a group of people were seen beating up dispersed ansar members at different places.

After the incident, Nahid Islam, information and broadcasting adviser, said the demonstration by ansar members is part of a conspiracy as they continued their programme even after getting assurance of meeting their demand.

"We will take legal action against those involved in the conspiracy," he said while talking to the media in front of the Secretariat.

Maj Gen Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud, director general of Ansar and VDP, told The Daily Star last night, "Those who continued the demonstration even after getting the assurance are not Ansar members. They are outsiders …  they came with an additional set of clothes and their intension was different."

"They did not want any solution. We will take lawful action against those people."

He said they have a separate disciplinary force called battalion ansar, who did not join the demonstration.

In the evening, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury told a press briefing at the Secretariat that they assured the demonstrating ansar members of abolishing the "mandatory leave system".

He said this after an hour-long meeting with representatives of the Ansar members.

A seven-member committee was formed with Ansar and VDP DG Maj Gen Abdul Motaleb as convener, and its Director Jahanara Akter as member secretary to find a solution to their demand.

The committee has been asked to submit a report within seven working days, according to a notification issued by the home ministry's Public Security Division.

The report then will be sent to an inter-ministerial committee that will make necessary decisions based on the recommendations, said the home adviser.

Asked about the "mandatory leave system", the Ansar DG said according to the regulations, a member is sent on a six-month mandatory leave after working for three consecutive years. During the time, they are not paid.

"An initiative has been taken to abolish the system. After this, their jobs will be considered regular."

At the briefing, Nasim Miah, a convener of the Ansar demonstration, said they were temporarily withdrawing their programme. "The Ansar members will return to work. We will look into the decision and then we will announce our next course of action, as our main demand is nationalisation of our job."

But the demonstrating ansar members did not accept the decision and vowed to continue their demonstration. They even stopped the vehicle of the home affairs adviser as it was leaving the Secretariat, a top official of the home ministry told The Daily Star.

"The adviser then called an emergency meeting to address the situation around 8:00pm. But the meeting ended without any decision as students drove away the demonstrators," the official said.

There are three branches of Ansar: General Ansar, Battalion Ansar, and Village Defence Party (VDP).

In another development, Dhaka Metropolitan Police last night banned all rallies, meetings, or demonstrations near the Secretariat and the residence of the chief adviser until further notice.