March for Justice: Students face police resistance, arrests across country 

Students and teachers staged demonstrations across the country on Wednesday, protesting the recent incidents of killings, mass arrests, attacks, cases, and forceful disappearances centering the quota reform movement.

The demonstrations were staged as the Students Against Discrimination, which led the quota reform protests, called a 'March for Justice' programme throughout the country on the day, to press home their demand for justice to the deceased and ending harassment of the protesters.

Students, alongside teachers and guardians, from various universities, schools and colleges joined the march and demonstration programmes in Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Rajshahi, and Sylhet.

In most of the programmes, the police set barriers, charged batons, fired tear gas shells and sound grenades while dispersing the protesters. A significant number of students were also arrested in various places. 

Teachers and students gathered in the Majar Gate area near the High Court in Dhaka at noon. The police detained a number of people from the spot around 12:30 pm. 

Despite the arrests, the protesters stayed in the area for nearly three hours and demonstrated against the injustices. Professor Lutfor Rahman, white panel convener of Dhaka University, took part in the programme, along with some other teachers of the university. Meanwhile, a group of lawyers held a procession inside the High Court premises. 

A section of protesting students attempted to approach the High Court premises around 1:00 pm, but faced barriers from the police. At one stage, they took positions in the Doyel Chattar area and ended their demonstrations with a rally at the Shaheed Minar. 

They left the area around 3:00 pm. 

Teachers and students of Jahangirnagar University participated in the protest. The protesting students thronged to the Mahua Mancha on the campus around 1:00pm, to hold demonstrations and collect signatures enmasse. 

They brought out a procession from the spot and marched through different roads inside the campus before returning to the beginning point for a rally. Some 10-15 teachers from various departments joined the protest. 

The police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades when the protesting students brought out a procession in the Subid Bazar area in Sylhet city around 1:00 pm. 

Faisal Hossain, a coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination, said at least 20 people, including students, sustained injuries during the police action on their procession. 

According to witnesses, the students gathered near the university’s main entrance around 11:00 am, to hold their ‘March for Justice’ programme. As the police did not allow them on the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway before the entrance, the protesting students took position below the nearby foot overbridge and started chanting slogans.

They brought out a procession towards Sylhet city around 12:00 pm. When they reached the Subid Bazar area around 12:30 pm, the police blocked their way, and it led to scuffles between two sides.

At one stage, the students pushed aside the police barriers and continued their march towards the court point area of the city. The police took position beside the road and fired tear gas shells and sound grenades, while the students replied by throwing brick chips. The police, however, managed to disperse the protesters.

The police used batons and tear gas to disperse protesting students at the Royal intersection in Khulna around 2:00 pm. The situation turned violent at one stage, as the protesting students replied to the police attack by hurling brick chips. 

The Sat Rasta and Royal intersections turned into warzones due to the clashes between the two sides. 

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Khulna Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mozammel Haque said the police force took action when the students, being equipped with sticks, attempted to vandalise vehicles and block the roads, to cause damages to the public properties. 

“We believe a large number of protesters were from banned Jamaat and Shibir. Some students have been detained, and actions will be taken after verifications on them,” said the police commissioner. 

In Barishal, the police dispersed the protesters during their march programme, by charging batons. At least 10 people, including four journalists, sustained injuries during the incident, while the police detained a number of protesters. 

According to witnesses and protesters, a group of students and some guardians tried to hold a procession on the Kathpatti road in the city around 11:00 am, but faced resistance from the police. A spell of scuffle took place there between two sides. 

The protesters marched forward defying the police resistance, but the police blocked them at the end of the City College alley. When some other students joined the protests and took positions on the Sadar Road, the police chased them away from the spot and baton-charged them. The students were chanting various slogans in favour of their demands. 

Multiple journalists covering the incident alleged that the police beat them up too, injuring at least four of them. They later sat on the Sadar Road to protest the police action against the journalists.

Protesters alleged that the police charged batons again when the students moved towards the judge court on Fazlul Haque Avenue. At least four protesters received injuries, while some were detained from the spot.  

Students demonstrated in Chattogram, as part of their nationwide march programme. Students entered the court premises defying the police restrictions and staged demonstrations there, while the pro-BNP lawyers joined the programme later. 

The protesters remained there despite the rain around 12:00 pm. At one stage, the pro-ruling party lawyers resisted the protests, and it led to a modest scuffle there. However, there were no large-scale clashes there. 

Earlier, students started gathering near the court gate adjacent to the Jahur Hawkers Market in the city around 10:30am. As a large number of policemen were deployed there, the students held their demonstration on the Zilla Parishad premises, blocking the adjacent roads. 

The authorities scaled up security measures in the court area of Rajshahi city, on information that the protesters would hold their programme in the area. A large number of police and BGB members were deployed in the area. No protesters went there to hold any programmes until 4:00 pm. 

However, the nationalist teachers' forum held a rally on Rajshahi University campus, expressing solidarity with the protesting students. They urged the government to meet the nine-point demand of the quota reform protesters.