Fresh Clashes Erupt In Dhaka, Several Injured

New Delhi: Violent clashes erupted between students and Ansar members near the Secretariat in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on Sunday night. The confrontation left several people from both sides injured, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The clash broke out after 9 pm, with both sides engaging in a series of chases. During the turmoil, police intervened in an attempt to restore order.

Earlier, students from various dorms of Dhaka University began gathering at the Raju Memorial Sculpture to march to the Secretariat to confront Ansar members, whom they were calling “agents of autocracy,” according to Dhaka Tribune.

This escalation followed reports that a group of Ansar members were detaining Nahid Islam, an adviser in the interim government and coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination movement, along with coordinators Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, and others, at the Secretariat.

Student Protest Coordinator Hasnat Abdullah in a Facebook post blamed former director general of Ansar, Maj Gen AKM Aminul Haque, for a continued blockade of the Secretariat, even after the demands of protesting Ansar members were met. Hasnat also urged everyone to gather in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University, Dhaka Tribune reported, according to ANI.

AKM Aminul Haque is the elder brother of former deputy minister of water resources AKM Enamul Haque Shamim.

Hasnat Abdullah on his Facebook wrote, “Everyone, come to Raju. The autocratic forces are trying to make a comeback through the Ansar force. Even after their demands were met, we were kept locked in the Secretariat.”

Earlier in the day, Ansar members ended their protest after receiving assurances from Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, the interim government’s adviser for home affairs. The members had been demonstrating for two days, calling for the nationalization of their jobs.