About 40 people were injured in clashes between students and Ansar members in Dhaka. Photo: Special arrangement
About 40 people were injured in a clash between students and Ansar members near the Secretariat in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on Sunday (August 25, 2024) night.
The incident occurred at around 9 pm when more than a thousand students, many of them armed with sticks, marched towards the Secretariat, where thousands of Ansar members were protesting and blocked the entrance to the main government headquarters in Dhaka.
Initially, the Ansar members retreated when the students reached there. However, they chased the students away with sticks. They also started throwing bricks targeting the students, following which a clash broke out between the two groups. The clash continued till 11 pm. After this, the Ansar members left the place.
In the evening, students from different halls of Dhaka University had gathered near the anti-terrorist Raju memorial sculpture at the Teachers and Students Centre (TSC) after reports emerged that a group of Ansar members had held Nahid Islam, an adviser in the interim government and coordinator of the anti-discrimination students’ movement, hostage at the secretariat, along with coordinators Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah and others. The students dubbed the Ansar members as “agents of autocracy”.
The police fired several sound grenades in an attempt to bring the situation under control. At least 40 people from both sides were injured as a result of the clashes. The injured were later rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.
In a post on Facebook in the evening, Mr Hasnat Abdullah, a key coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination movement, blamed former Ansar director-general Major General AKM Aminul Haque, the elder brother of AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, former deputy minister of the Sheikh Hasina government’s water resources ministry, for the blockade of the secretariat even though the demands of the protesting Ansar members had been met. He also urged everyone to gather in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University.
He said, “Everyone should come to Raju. The dictatorial forces are trying to make a comeback through Ansar Force. We were kept locked in the Secretariat even after their demands were met.”
Forhad Hossain, a student of Jagannath University, told The Hindu, “Students across the country are busy helping the flood victims. Many students have left Dhaka and those who are left are collecting and distributing relief materials. Yet, amid the floods in the country, Ansar members have been blocking roads and staging protests for the past few days, even obstructing the transportation of relief trucks to the flood-affected districts. They have also taken some officials and advisers hostage at the Secretariat.”
The Ansar members had been protesting for the past few days demanding nationalisation of their jobs along with several other demands. After discussions with Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Mohammad Jahangir Alam on Sunday afternoon, the Ansar members agreed to suspend their ongoing protest and return to work. During the meeting, a preliminary decision was taken to remove the six-month rest rule currently applicable on Ansar personnel, which was a major demand of the protesters. A committee has been formed to resolve the issue, which has been directed to submit a report within seven days. Regarding the demand for nationalisation of their jobs, the Home Adviser assured the delegation that the matter would be “considered based on the report of the recommendation committee”.
However, despite assurances from the interim government, Ansar members refused to withdraw their protest.