Police have arrested five Dhaka College students for their alleged involvement in the killing of Nahid Hossain, a deliveryman who died during the clashes at New Market between shopkeepers and students.
AKM Hafiz Akter, the additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Detective Branch), disclosed this at a media briefing at the DMP media center in the capital on Thursday noon.
The arrested are Md Abdul Quayum, Palash Miyan, Mahmud Irfan, Md Faysal Islam, and Md Junaid Bagdadi.
A clash broke out in the New Market area at midnight on 18 April and continued in phases until the next afternoon, which left more than 50 people injured.
Two, including Nahid, succumbed to their injuries while being treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
A total of five cases were filed over the incident -- two murder cases by families of the two deceased, two bombing and violence cases by the police, and the remaining one by an ambulance owner.
The Detective Branch (DB) police are investigating the two murder cases while the remaining three cases are being taken care by of the New Market police station.
AKM Hafiz said Nahid was on the side of shopkeepers during the clashes. The Dhaka College students attacked him when Nahid, at one stage of the clash, was left alone on the spot.
A photo showing Nahid being hacked brutally with a machete was circulated in the media. It is suspected that the man with machete is Dhaka College student Bashar Imon.
Asked about the issue, the additional commissioner said they are yet to confirm whether the hacker is Bashar Imon or not.
He also said that no one was arrested over the murder of Morsalin, the other victim of the clashes.