5 protesters shot, over 100 injured in clash with BCL, Jubo League men at Science Lab

More than 100 students have been injured during a clash between quota reform protesters and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Bangladesh Awami Jubo league in the capital’s Science Lab area Tuesday evening. At least five of them suffered bullet wounds.

The injured have been taken to nearby hospitals, including the Popular Diagnostic Centre, while clashes were still going on in a sporadic manner. The identities of the injured and the extent of their injuries could not be known immediately. 

The ruling party’s student front, Chhatra League, carried out attacks on the quota reform protesters on the Dhaka University campus on Monday. Protesting the attacks, the students and job seekers brought out a procession in the Science Lab area in the afternoon on Tuesday.

At one stage, Jubo League and Chhatra League men attacked the procession around 2:00 pm, leading to chase and counter-chase between two sides.

The Jubo League and Chhatra League men took position before the Dhaka College’s main entrance, with cleavers, rods, iron pipes and sticks, at a distance from the protesters. 

Following chase and counter-chase between two sides, there were gunshots from the position of Chhatra League and Jubo League around 5:30 pm, said the protesting students. 

Earlier, a youth was beaten to death before the Dhaka College. He, yet to be identified, was later taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Rifatul Islam, senior assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s New Market zone, said they saw a group of people beating up an individual on the road before the Dhaka College in the afternoon. Later, they came to know that the victim died at the hospital. 

Inspector Bacchu Mia of the DMCH police outpost said the on-duty physicians pronounced the youth dead around 5:15 pm when he was taken to the hospital. 

He, presumed to be 25, was taken to the hospital in a blood-soaked dress with injuries in the head, added the police officer.