Anti-discrimination student movement blocks police station, highway in Chattogram
Leaders and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have surrounded the Patiya police station in Chattogram following two reported clashes with police.
Since 9:30 am on Wednesday, they have taken positions in front of the main gate of the police station, demanding a fair trial into the incidents of alleged police assault.
Around 10:40 am, a section of the demonstrators also began blocking the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway in front of the police station, reiterating the same demand. The blockade has caused significant traffic congestion on both sides of the highway.
As of 10:45 am, protesters were seen shouting slogans against the police while holding their ground in front of the station.
A separate group had occupied the highway, sitting on the road and chanting slogans.
Speaking to Prothom Alo over the phone, Fatema Khanam, spokesperson for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Chattogram, confirmed her presence at the demonstration.
She said that when activists initially tried to position themselves near the police station gate, they were stopped by police. A scuffle ensued, leaving one activist injured.
The tension stems from two previous clashes that took place on Tuesday night—first at 9:30 pm and again at 11:30 pm—between police and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Both sides claim that a total of 19 people were injured in the confrontations.
According to witnesses, as well as statements from both police and protesters, the situation arose when members of the student movement detained a local Chhatra League leader around 9:00 pm in front of the Central Shaheed Minar in Patiya and brought him to the police station.
However, police reportedly refused to arrest him due to the absence of any formal case.
This led to a standoff between the activists and law enforcement, during which protesters chanted slogans and tensions escalated. Eventually, a clash broke out, after which police took the Chhatra League leader into custody.
Ridwan Siddiqui, joint convener of the movement’s city unit, claimed that six of their members were injured in the first clash. On the other hand, Patiya police station officer-in-charge (OC) Abu Zahed Md Nazmun Nur claimed that four police personnel were also injured.
The standoff continued, leading to a second clash around 11:30 pm, during which protesters alleged that nine more of their activists were injured, he added.
Multiple calls made to OC Abu Zahed Md. Nazmun Noor’s mobile phone on Wednesday morning went unanswered, and police have yet to issue a formal statement regarding the ongoing siege of the station.
However, on Tuesday night around 9:30 pm, the OC told Prothom Alo that student activists brought the Chhatra League leader to the station and began physically assaulting him.
He added that a group then tried to force its way through the security cordon and enter the station, which led to a scuffle that injured three or four officers.