Student protesters for quota reform in government jobs on Wednesday announced to enforce a ‘complete shutdown’ for Thursday across Bangladesh protesting at the attack by the members of police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion and the Special Weapons And Tactics on Dhaka University campus and elsewhere in the country.
The protest organisers claimed that over a thousand of protesters were injured on Wednesday as members of law enforcement agencies and ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League continued to attack on their ‘peaceful protests’.
Asif Mamud, co-coordinator of the Students Movement Against Discrimination, a platform for anti-quota protest, made the announcement through a Facebook post, half an hour after prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s address to the nation.
He, however, did not mention the hours of ‘complete shutdown’ in his announcement.
In an oblige reference to the PM’s televised address to the nation, Asif in another Facebook post, rejected her speech, saying ‘it did not mention names of seven martyrs’.Â
The programme was also announced protesting at killings and demanding justice for the victims’ families, freeing the campuses from criminal activities and their one-point demand to reform quota in government jobs.Â
‘No organisation will be allowed to open its doors except hospitals, emergency services and mass media. No vehicles excepting ambulances and those providing other emergency services to ply roads,’ said Asif while explaining what a ‘complete shutdown’ means.
He urged students of all schools, colleges, universities, private universities, madrassahs to make the programme successful.
‘We want to say to the parents that we are children of yours. Please, stand beside us and protect us,’ Asif added.
He said that this was not only the fight of the students but also the people from all walks of life,’ Asif added. Â
The violence began when the ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League attacked on protesters on Dhaka University campus and other places on Monday that left over 400 injured.
On Tuesday, at least six people were killed and over 500 were injured as students’ protests against the job quota across Bangladesh turned deadly amid attacks by police and ruling party supporters on protesters.
Sarjis Alam, one of the coordinator of the platform said, ‘We cannot exactly say that how many of our fellow protesters became injured today, but the number would be more than 1,000 across the country due to attacks by police and ruling party activists.’
He said that they could not contact with other protesters as mobile internet and network was slowed down in most of the university campuses across the country.
Police fired at least 300 rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets on Wednesday to disperse Jahangirnagar University students, protesting against the authority’s decision to vacate dormitories what the authority says for security reasons.
Public university authorities’ closed campuses for an indefinite period and asked students to vacate their residential halls although protesters at Jahangirnagar University and Rajshahi University continued demonastrations defying the authorities’ directives till evening.
Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and sound grandes in DU, JU and RU to disperse the protesters on Wednesday.Â
On DU campus, police fired tear gas and sound grenades on Wednesday afternoon at protesting students of the University, who held a coffin procession after conducting a 'gayebana jazana' for six individuals killed on Tuesday.
Later in the afternoon, the protesting students left DU campus, took position at Nilkhet.
Police also attacked them outside the campus. Â
Protesting students for reforming quota in government jobs drove out the ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders and activists from 18 residential halls, out of 20, on the Dhaka University campus in overnight search that continued till Wednesday morning.
A group of teachers from different public universities held a rally on Wednesday morning protesting against the killings, assault and torture during the ongoing students’ protests for quota reform in government jobs, and demanding arrest of those involved in the misdeeds.
They held the rally under the banner of ‘Teachers against Oppression’ at Aparajeyo Bangla on the campus of Dhaka University.
Students also held gayebana janaza and blocked highways, including Dhaka-Chattogram, in several districts across the country.
At least 120 students, and journalists were wounded when the police started action at about 5:15pm, according to JU Medical Center, ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· correspondent in JU reported.
A duty doctor of the medical center, Rizwanur Rahman, said that at least ten students with serious bullet injuries were sent to the Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar for treatment.
When the university administration announced to vacate the hall, the students besieged the university’s new admin building after confining the university's syndicate members, including JU vice-chancellor Nurul Alam.
The administration of Jagannath University has revoked its decision to close the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall amid protests by students, United News of Bangladesh reported.
The decision was confirmed by the hall provost Dipika Rani.
The top officials of Rajshahi University including its vice chancellor and pro-vice chancellors were freed four hours after students demanding a reform in the quota system in the government jobs confined them inside the university’s administration building on Wednesday noon, ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· Staff Correspondent in Rajshahi reported.
Members of police, Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh in a joint drive freed them at about 7:15pm after dispersing the protesting students by firing tear shells and sound grenades.
However, the number of injured students in the attack could not be known immediately.
After being freed, RU vice chancellor Professor Golam Sabbir Sattar told reporters that they sought help of the law enforcers after the outsiders took over the protest, and cut off the electricity and water lines to the administration building.
Thousand of people attended the 'gayabi Janaza' in the port city on Wednesday afternoon at Laldhigi filed, ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· Staff Correspondent in the district reported.
On the occasion of killing three people during the unrest of Quota Protest on Tuesday, students- guardian and common people attended the Janaza.
Some students of Chittagong University stayed in their halls after ignoring the order of vacating halls on Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, most of the students had to leave the halls while some were staying after the announcement, following the directives from the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh to keep all public and private universities closed.
At least twenty people, including police, were injured in clashes between anti quota protesters and BCL at Sarail in Brahmanbaria on Wednesday afternoon, ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· correspondent in the district reported.
Asif Mamud, co-coordinator of the Students Movement Against Discrimination, a platform for anti-quota protest, made the announcement through a Facebook post, half an hour after prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s address to the nation.
He, however, did not mention the hours of ‘complete shutdown’ in his announcement.
The programme was also announced protesting at killings and demanding justice for the victims’ families, freeing the campuses from criminal activities and their one-point demand to reform quota in government jobs. Â
‘No organisation will be allowed to open its doors except hospitals, emergency services and mass media, and no vehicles will be allowed to ply on roads except ambulances,’ said Asif as he explained the ‘complete shutdown’.
He urged students of all schools, colleges, universities, private universities, madrassahs to make the programme successful.
‘We want to say to the parents that we are children of yours. Please, stand beside us and protect us,’ Asif added.
He said that this was not only the fight of the students but also the people from all walks of life,’ Asif added.  Â
Sarjis Alam, one of the coordinator of the platform said, ‘We cannot exactly say that how many of our fellow protesters became injured today, but the number would be more than 1,000 across the country due to attacks by police and ruling party activists.’
He said that they could not contact with other protesters as mobile internet and network was slowed down in most of the university campuses across the country.
The violence began when the ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League attacked on protesters on DU campus and other places on Monday that left over 400 injured.
On Tuesday, at least six people were killed and over 500 were injured as students’ protests against the job quota across Bangladesh turned deadly amid attacks by police and ruling party supporters on protesters.
