The students of newly affiliated seven government colleges with University of Dhaka staged demonstration at Shahbagh intersection on Thursday demanding several demands, including announcement of examinations schedule.
But the police thwarted the demonstration and detained 13 students. Four students were also injured.
The students of Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Begum Badrunnessa Government Girls’ College, Government Bangla College, and Government Titumir College took to the street around 10:00am to meet their demands.
The demands are announcement of examinations schedule, formation of a combined website for the affiliated colleges, infrastructure development of the colleges, mitigation of session jam, arrangement for new academic syllabus and declaration of relations of the colleges with the University of Dhaka.
The students were shouting slogans stopping the road of the Shahbagh intersection which hampers the movement of vehicles causing immense sufferings to the commuters.
Earlier, police requested the demonstrating students to remove from the road, but they denied.
Thus, a scuffle also took place between the students and the police personnel.
At one stage, police lobbed teargas shells and fired rubber bullets to disperse them, leaving four students injured. Police also detained 13 students from the spot.
HM Azimul Haque, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Ramna Division Police, said the students were first requested to clear the busy intersection. “When they didn’t listen, we dispersed them.”
“When we tried to remove the demonstrating students from the road, they began hurling bricks and stones at us. Following their attack three policemen injured. So we responded with four rounds of teargas shells to disperse them. We picked up 13 students from the spot,” he said.
Monir Hossain, a Masters student of the Department of Physics at Dhaka College said, “We (Hundreds of students) formed a human chain at Shahbagh intersection at around 12:00 noon. A lot of police was surrounding us, claiming that they were there to maintain law and order.”
“Without any warning, the police charged us with batons and fired teargas shells at us, injuring several students,” he further said.
“Other college students are sitting for their final year exams while our future remains uncertain. What is going to happen to our education and career?” asked a protester.
Jamal Uddin Ahmed, a student of Kabi Nazrul, said, “Our families can’t afford to send us money regularly. Because of examination delay, our future has become bleak.”
Later in the afternoon, authorities announced the dates of examination for the students of the seven government colleges.
The DU Vice-Chancellor and the Principals of the seven colleges at a meeting decided that the examinations will be held centrally, said IK Selim Ullah Khandaker, Secretary General of BCS General Education Association.
