Dhaka College suspends classes, exams after students clash with new market traders

Dhaka College authorities cancelled all the classes and exams scheduled to be held today (Tuesday) after the students had clashed with traders of New Market on Tuesday night.

The college authorities have requested all the teachers of the college to be on campus by 10:00am. A notice regarding this was published on the official website of the college and its verified Facebook page.

The clash broke out at around 12:00am and a chase-counter chase continued for two and half hours. The traffic on Mirpur road was disrupted during the clash.

The police fired tear shells to bring the situation under control.

At around 2:25am, Harunur Rashid, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) additional deputy commissioner (ADC), Ramna zone, told the newspersons that the situation had been brought under control.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, several Dhaka College students said one of their classmates had been attacked by the traders of New Market. In protest, a few hundred students came out of the residential hall of the college with sticks and local weapons. Some shops in the New Market were vandalised at that time. Some of the traders were beaten up by the students as well.

Right after that, the traders came out with sticks and the clash broke out.

However, the traders of New Market alleged the clash ensued after some students of Dhaka College were leaving without paying bills after having dinner at a fast food shop in the market. After an altercation between the staff of the shop and the students, hundreds of students from Dhaka College swoop on the traders and started vandalising the shops. Later, the traders retaliated.

The students retreated after the police fired tear gas. However, the agitated students tried to assault the traders in phases. The police tried to calm them down.

Earlier, Rumi Tabrez, sub-inspector (SI) of New Market police station, told Prothom Alo that a trader from the New Market called the national emergency service number 999 and said some students of Dhaka College had attacked his shop.