New Market reopens after agreement between students, traders

The shops in New Market area are being reopened from around 10.00am Thursday. The other markets in the vicinity are also being opened. However, the markets on the opposite side of the Dhaka College are yet to be opened.

People concerned said the students of Dhaka College and the traders of the New Market area reached an agreement in a meeting late Wednesday night. The shops in the New Market are being based on the agreement reached by both parties at the meeting.

Earlier on Tuesday, the two parties locked into clashes that lasted all day following a two and half hour-clash on Monday night.

All the shops in the vicinity of New Market were closed due to the clashes. The markets remained closed on Wednesday as well. However, a few shops were seen reopening on Thursday morning. A few other shops were preparing to reopen. A few shops on the streets of the New Market have also been opened.

Md Wahab, a security guard on duty at the gate of the market, said New Market will reopen on full scale from Thursday.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Thursday morning, Dewan Aminul Islam, president of Dhaka New Market Traders’ association, said, “An agreement was reached in this regard in a joint meeting between the students, traders, representatives of education and home ministry, Dhaka College authorities and law enforcement agencies on Wednesday night. The market may open after 11.00am today.”

The meeting was held between all the parties concerned at the meeting room of the Science Laboratory. Nehal Ahmed, director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, presided over the meeting.

Speaking to the newspersons after the meeting, he said, “All the shops in the New Market area will open by Thursday morning. The college authority will take the decision regarding vacation of the student and vacating the residential hall. Almost all the demands of the students are justified. Therefore, the traders accepted all their demands. A monitoring cell will be formed soon based on the demands made by the students.”

He also claimed that there was instigation from a third party in this incident.