Quota reform: Three die during clash in Chattogram, two bear bullet wounds

At least three individuals have died during a clash between quota reform protesters and activists of Jubo League and Chhatra League in Chattogram. Two of the deceased were seen with bullet wounds.

The clash broke out when some armed men fired shots at the protesting students at Muradpur around 3:00pm.  

The deceased are Md Faruk, 32, a worker of a furniture shop, and Md Wasim, 22, a sociology department student at Chittagong College. The other deceased is yet to be identified.  

Taslim Uddin, director of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, confirmed the deaths, saying the physicians found them dead after they were taken there around 4:30pm. 

“A number of people were brought to the hospital during the movement, and the physicians pronounced two of them dead,” he said, adding some six to seven more people are receiving treatment at various wards in the hospital for their wounds. 

Nujhat Imu, an on-duty physician of the hospital’s emergency ward, told Prothom Alo that Faruk suffered bullet wounds, and that they are yet to ascertain the reason behind the other death. 

Earlier, the quota reform protesters came under attack in Chattogram city, with some armed individuals firing shots at the protesting students. Also, there were incidents of cocktail explosions around 3:15pm at Muradpur of the city. 

The protesting students blamed Jubo League and Chhatra League, youth and student fronts of the ruling party, for the attack.

According to protesters, they were scheduled for a programme at the Sholoshahar Railway Station in Chattogram at 3:30pm on Tuesday, to demonstrate against the attacks on their fellow protesters across the country on the previous day. 

However, leaders and activists of Jubo League and Chhatra League took position at the spot much before the declared time. When the protesters took an attempt to go to the spot with processions, they came under attack at Muradpur.

Witnesses said the attackers initially used sticks to disperse the protesters, but later resorted to firearms. Some of them were seen firing shots at the protesting students. The students replied by throwing brick chips, and it ensued to chase and counter-chase between two sides. 

Vehicular movement came to a complete standstill in the area during the clash. A group of panicked protesters took shelter in a nearby alley, but the attackers found them out and beat up again. 

Nurul Azim Rony, former general secretary of the Chhatra League’s Chattogram city unit, told Prothom Alo that the protesters blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway and the railway, inflicting sufferings to the people. 

“It no longer remains a movement against the quota system, rather has turned into a movement of Jamaat and Shibir,” he said, declaring to tackle the movement. 

Jashad Jakir, a protesting student from Chittagong University’s music department, alleged that the Chhatra League men declared a programme at the same place the quota reform protesters were scheduled to hold a demonstration. 

“When we took position in the Muradpur area, the Chhatra League men carried out sporadic attacks on us, leaving five to six injured,” he said, adding most of the attackers were hired goons. 

In this regard, Kazi Tarek Aziz, additional deputy commissioner of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), said policemen were deployed at Muradpur and other places of clash. 

Asked about the armed attackers, he replied that they will take legal action if any armed men are seen in public.