Shopkeepers in the capital’s New Market area and Dhaka College students fought pitched battles on Monday and Tuesday over a brawl centering on an argument at a fast-food shop. A courier service delivery man was killed and 50 others injured, including journalists and students. Five shops of Nurjahan Supermarket were gutted during the clash. Businesses alleged that the lack of prompt action by police allowed the violence to continue for hours. Clashes between Dhaka College students and traders of nearby shops are not new.
At one stage, a rumor did the rounds on the campus that the storekeepers stabbed students. Students then arrived in groups and attacked the staffers, who also retaliated. Traders alleged that this incident was an outburst of their pent-up grievances over rampant extortion by a section of Dhaka College students. Students termed it a protest against harassment by shop owners in the area. There is no crime in the country without political involvement, and almost all incidents can be described thru political lenses. However, the clash erupted between a section of college students and traders, actually those committed between a ruling party student wing Chhatra League and unruly traders backed by ruling influence. Such disputes can also explain police inaction.
Organised traders often misbehave with the customers, and in some cases, shoppers are often hostage by the traders. All social and political forces slammed police inaction in the clash that brought the battleground. However, reciprocal allegations of extortion by a section of Dhaka College students and misbehaviour of traders are also partially true. Local ruling political force should solve the extortion and misbehaviour by establishing accountability and the rule of laws. Police inaction, late response, and action against students should be investigated. We must say the politicisation of campus and trade body is the leading cause behind the clash, and we must fix the problem on that ground.
