The police on Monday afternoon lobbed tear gas shells and baton-charged the protesters who blocked the interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus鈥檚 official residence Jamuna, demanding an increase in the age limit for government jobs.
The incident took place at about 1:15pm when protesters, demanding an age limit increase in government jobs to 35 years, blocked the main gate of the chief adviser residence in Dhaka city.
The demonstrations began at Shahbagh crossing at about 11:00am from which a procession was brought out that broke police barricades and reached Jamuna.
鈥楾he police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets at our protesting brothers. Many of the protesters were injured,鈥� Abu Sayeed Khan, a protester told reporters.
Nur Amin, who came from Rangpur to join the protest, said that it required 27 years to complete studies due to session jams and the current age limit prevented many aspirants鈥� from competing for the civil service jobs.聽
鈥楳any of the developed countries do not have any age limit to get entry in the government jobs. We urge the government to accept our demand,鈥� said Nur Amin, who completed his master鈥檚 degree from Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur.
He slammed the police attack on the protesters as 10鈥�15 of his fellows were injured.聽
Asked about police actions on protesters, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ramna Division deputy commissioner Md Sarwar Jahan declined to comment.
Protesters鈥� representatives held a meeting with information and broadcasting adviser Md Nahid Islam and youth and sports adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan at Jamuna for over an hour.
Former caretaker government adviser Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, also the head of the interim government鈥檚 public administration reform commission, will discuss with the protesters鈥� representatives today, Rasel, a coordinator of the protest told reporters on Monday evening.聽
鈥榃e have spoken to Muyeed sir over phone and he will sit with us tomorrow. We cannot have a gazette notification issued today as there is a process. We have to follow it,鈥� said Rasel, adding that they would continue their movement in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh from today.聽聽
The protesters cleared the road in front of the chief adviser鈥檚 residence at about 8:30pm.
Earlier in the day, a committee led by former secretary Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury was appointed to give recommendations on the demand for increasing the age limit to 35 years from current 30 years for entering the civil service.
The committee chief, who can co-opt necessary number of members, will submit recommendations within seven working days, said administration ministry secretary Md Mokhles ur Rahman in a briefing at the Secretariat on the day.
The committee was formed against the backdrop of the demand and protests by the government job seekers to increase the age limit that began early September.
The Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office staff said that they had found through analysing the videos that many of the protesters were followers of Gana Odhikar Parishad faction president Md Nurul Haque Nur.
Nurul Haque Nur, however, could not be reached over phone or through text messages for comment.聽
On August 25, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police in a public announcement banned all kind of meetings, rallies, processions and protests near the chief adviser鈥檚 official residence Jamuna and the Secretariat from August 26.
Yunus took oath as the interim government chief adviser on August 8 following then prime minister Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 resignation and fleeing to India on August 5 amid a student-led mass uprising.
