At least five people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes between quota protestors and ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League in Dhaka, Chattogram and Rangpur on Tuesday.
Of the victims, one was killed in Dhaka, three in Chattogram and one in Rangpur, police and officials said.
In Dhaka, an unidentified youth, aged about 25, was killed during a clash between BCL and quota protesters in Dhaka College area.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital outpost in-charge Bachchu Mia confirmed the matter and said that a pedestrian brought the critically injured youth to the hospital.
Bachchu Mia said that he brought him (deceased) to the hospital from Dhaka College area where he was lying beside the road.
Later, the on-duty doctor at the hospital declared him dead.
He also said that the victim had injury marks on his face. “The body is kept at the DMCH hospital morgue,” he added.
Bachchu said a number of injured students were also brought to DMCH for treatment.
In Chattogram, three people including a student of Chattogram College were killed during a clash between the quota protestors and BCL activists in Chattogram in the afternoon.
Two of the victims are Wasim Akram, 24, a student of Chittagong College and M Faruk, 25, a worker of a furniture shop while the identity of the other deceased could not be known immediately.
Chattogram Medical College Hospital director Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin said the duo was brought dead to the hospital at about 4:30pm.
Students from Chattogram University and various other educational institutions gathered at Sholashohor station at 3 pm as part of the ongoing quota reform movement. The clash with Chhatra League and Jubo League members erupted around 4 pm. Both sides engaged in throwing bricks and stones, causing the area to resemble a battlefield. Sporadic explosions of cocktails were reported, and some individuals were seen with weapons. However, law enforcement personnel were notably absent from the scene.
In Rangpur, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur was killed and sixteen others were injured during a clash between the police and quota protesters in front of the university on Tuesday.
The youth is Abu Sayeed, 25, son of Maqbul Hossain from Babanpur, Pirganj, Rangpur.
Abu Sayeed received bullet wounds and was rushed to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival and sixteen others, who were injured during the clash, have been admitted to the hospital,
The students staged protest in front of the university demanding reform of the quota system in government jobs.
The clash broke out between 2:30pm and 3:00pm when police charged batons on the protesters and also fired bullets.
Students of different universities launched quota movement on July 1 demanding the cancellation of a High Court order dated June 5 that asked the government to reinstate 30 per cent job quotas for the descendants of freedom fighters.
Four students of Jagannath University were shot and wounded on Tuesday afternoon during demonstrations near the campus, demanding reform in quota system.
Some students brought out a protest procession from the university around 3:30 pm.
When they were marching towards Ray Saheb Bazar gunshots were fired from an alley, leaving four students wounded, said witnesses.
Among them, Ferdous Ahmed and Anik, of Management Department, suffered serious injuries.
They injured were taken to National Medical College Hospital.
Kotwali zone ASP Nazrul said, “I have heard the news of the shooting. But we saw only one group marching. we did not see the attacker.”
Dr Arif, in-charge of emergency department of National Medical College Hospital, said four bullet-hit students and one with stab injuries were brought to the hospital.
The students who sustained bullet wound were referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and the other injured student is receiving treatment at the hospital, he said.
In Bogra, At least four students of Government Azizul Haque College were injured as their road-blocked program demanding the cancellation of quotas in public sector jobs came under a crude bomb attack on Tuesday.
Bogra Sadar police station SI Rahim Uddin confirmed the attack but could not say who carried it out.
The injured students are Sumon Rana, 23, Mamun, 22, Tafsir, 20, and Milon, 20.
They were admitted to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital for treatment.
