Both the quarrelling parties had taken positions facing each other since 10.30 in the morning on Tuesday. There were chase and counter chase between the two parties every now and then. At one side were the students of Dhaka College and shop owners and workers of New Market and hawkers were on the other. At one stage the clash broke out in between the Nilkhet intersection and Science Lab intersection on Mirpur road.
The Nilkhet police box is located at one end of the place of clash and the Science Lab police box is on the other. In addition, the Nilkhet police station was also nearby. Despite that, the police appeared at the scene about two and a half hours later.
By then, the situation went almost out of control. Some 40 people, including newspersons, pedestrians, students and traders, were injured by the time the police reached there.
Questions have been raised as to why did the police arrive so late? Many have criticised the police for taking so much time to bring the situation under control.
There were reports of clashes between the Dhaka College students and the traders and workers of the shops in the New Market area on Monday night as well.
The police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control on that occasion. Although the clash stopped, the situation was quite tense.
There was fear that something might happen on Tuesday as well. Therefore, a big question remains as to why didn’t the police take preparations in advance? The clash which broke out at around 10.30am lasted till evening. The situation was quite turbulent at night as well.
The area of the clash falls under the jurisdiction of Ramna zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). When asked about the delay, Sazzadur Rahman, deputy commissioner (DC) of DMP’s Ramna zone, said, “We were near the place of the incident. We were observing the situation. The situation was brought under control by consensus of both parties.”
However, several shop owners told Prothom Alo that the situation would not come this far if the police appeared on time.
Speaking about this, DC Sazzadur Rahman told Prothom Alo, “It is the police who will determine when is the best time to move.”
He declined to talk any further in this regard.
Meanwhile, the students of Dhaka College have claimed that the police took a stance in favour of the traders during the clash. They alleged that on Monday night too, police opened fire at the students in favour of the traders. And they swooped over the students in phases in favour of the traders on Tuesday afternoon. Tear shells and rubber bullets have been fired at the students several times from noon to afternoon, they alleged.
It was part of our strategy. We had contacted the leaders of the students and teachers of the college and the business leaders
Fuad Hossain, a Dhaka College student who introduced himself as a leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Dhaka College unit, told Prothom Alo that the police opened fire at them taking stance in favour of the traders. Despite the presence of the BCL central president and secretary, police kept firing and five students were shot.
Two of them are in critical condition. All the five injured are general students. The students have collected the shells of the bullets fired at them and handed them over to the college authority, he added.
The traders, however, claim even after coming to the spot, the police did not try to control the situation at first. They did not play any role in stopping the students either.
Saidur Rahman, a trader of the Chandrima Market on the opposite side of New Market, alleged that a few students had set fire to a shop in the Nurjahan Market on the opposite side of Dhaka College in the morning. After that, they tried to set fire to Chandrima Market as well. The traders were assaulted by the students several times. But the police did not arrive on time to stop the students. They did not take any strong stance even after reaching the spot either, he added.
New Market Traders’ Association president Aminul Islam has questioned why the police could not reach the spot till noon.
Speaking to Prothom Alo regarding the delay, DMP commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam said, “It was part of our strategy. We had contacted the leaders of the students and teachers of the college and the business leaders.”
“Besides, the students took position on the roof of the 10-story building of Dhaka College with brick bats. The members of police would have been assaulted by the students if they went there in such a situation and had to open fire consequently. We wanted to avoid such a situation. Police went into action after the Shop Owners Association, the employees of the shop and the student leaders failed to evacuate the students of Dhaka College from the spot.”
In the meantime, traffic on an important road of the city was disrupted as the police failed to bring the situation under control in time. Severe traffic congestion spread on several roads nearby as a result. Thousands of people had to endure immense sufferings on the road all day.
Mokhlesur Rahman, former additional inspector general of police (AIG), thinks there was lack of intelligence surveillance in this incident.
Speaking to Prothom Alo over the phone on Tuesday night, he said, “There are criticisms about the role of the police during the clash between the traders and students. The police delayed a bit to get there and take action. They should have dealt with this small incident with proper importance and should have taken effective actions instantly.”