Staff Reporter :At least 25 leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, were injured as police heavily charged baton on them. They were trying to besiege the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner’s office on the city’s Minto Road area on Sunday afternoon.The BCU announced the siege program on Thursday for realization of its six-point demands, including the arrest and trial of those involved in sexually assaulting women during the Pahela Baishakh celebrations on the Dhaka University campus.At least five policemen were also injured when demonstrators hurled stones and brickbats at them, said Sub-Inspector (SI) Mizanur Rahman of Ramna Police Station.The injured people were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) and several others hospitals in the capital.Chhatra Union President Hasan Tareq, Vice-President Maruf Billah Tonmoy, Dhaka University President Liton Nondi, Tejgaon College unit Organising Secretary Dipendra Siddhanto, Jahangirnagar University unit General Secretary Anik Ray, activist Saddam Hossain, Antu Nath and Ariful Islam were injured in police action.Police also detained five activists of the BCU during the clash from the spot, BCU sources said.Over 150 leaders and activists of Chhatra Union were marching towards the DMP Commissioner’s office from Teachers-Students Centre (TSC) around 12:30 pm. They reached near Officers’ Club around 1:00pm defying police obstructions at Doel Chhattar, High Court Mazar and Matshya Bhaban. The agitators organized a rally there for half an hour halting vehicular movement from Kakrail crossing to Moghbazar crossing.As cops halted them again near the DMP office, the demonstrators sat down on the road and chanted slogans against police. They also demanded immediate arrest and punishment to the perpetrators. At one stage, police took away the microphone used by the demonstrators and charged batons with rifle butts, used water cannon and lobbed teargas shells to disperse them.Law enforcers lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the demonstrators, leaving 25 people, including BCU central president Hasan Tareq, injured. The protesters responded by hurling bricks and stones at lawmen.Hasan Tarek, President of Students’ Union central committee, said: “As per our pre-announced schedule, we attempted to lay a siege to the headquarters of DMP.””The on-duty police members put barricade on the road outside the DMP office and obstructed our members crossing the barricade. At one stage of struggle, the police swooped on us and charged batons on the protesting students, leaving at least 25 people injured,” he saidBesides, riot vehicles were also seen on the spot during the incident. Later, the police nabbed five members of the Students’ Union from the spot, he added.Deputy Commissioner of Police (Ramna Division) Abdul Baten said: We’ve told the demonstrators to send representatives with their demands. But, they didn’t do it. They created public sufferings, blocking the road.”Police charged baton to disperse the agitators as they first attacked police throwing brickbats, the DC said.Moshiur Rahman, OC Ramna Police Station, said: “We have detained those students who were assaulting the on-duty police members and were trying to obstruct the law enforcers from performing their duties.”Earlier on April 14, some rowdy elements sexually assaulted some women several times during the Pahela Baishakh celebrations at Suhrawardy Udyan’s main entrance, adjacent to the TSC area. Liton Nandi and other activists received injuries while trying to rescue the victims. Later, the organisation members staged a number of demonstrations, demanding punishment to the culprits.On April 17, Ashraful Alam, Sub-Inspector of Shahbagh Police Station who was on-duty near the TSC, was withdrawn on charge of negligence.On April 20, Advocate Yunus Ali Akand filed a writ petition with the High Court, seeking its directive to arrest the culprits within 24 hours.
