At least 50 teachers and students of Jagannath University were injured in police action on Wednesday when the police intercepted a march towards the chief adviser鈥檚 official residence Jamuna in Dhaka demanding accommodation facilities and the completion of their proposed campus outside the city.
The police charged batons, fired sound grenades, lobbed teargas shells, and used water cannons to disperse the protesters at Kakrial Mosque police barricade near Jamuna, said the police, students and eyewitnesses.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost in-charge Md Faruk said that 38 of the injured people took treatment at DMCH emergency department.
After the police action, JnU Teachers鈥� Association general secretary Rais Uddin told reporters that at least eight teachers of the university and more than 40 students were injured in the police attack.
He claimed that several hundred students and teachers were holding a 鈥楲ong March to Jamuna鈥� to hand over a memorandum to the chief adviser but police attacked them during the march.
He demanded punishment for the police personnel who attacked the JnU teachers and students.
JnU student Miraj Mridha told 抖阴精品 that the protesters began the march at about 11:30am from the campus in Old Dhaka demanding the introduction of 鈥榟ousing stipend鈥� for 70 per cent of JnU students from the upcoming fiscal year and continue it until securing permanent accommodation, full approval of the proposed university budget for 2025鈥�26 FY without any reductions, and immediate approval and implementation of the university鈥檚 second campus project in the next ECNEC meeting under a priority scheme.
He claimed that the university鈥檚 second campus project was handed over to army amid student protests but there was no visible progress in the works which made the students and teachers distressed.
Another JnU student Sami Uddin Sazid said that the police set barricades at different places on their way to Jamuna.
He said that the police set barricades at places including Tatibazar, Gulistan, Bangladesh Secretariat and Matsya Bhaban during the march and the protesters marched towards Jamuna defying the barricades.
The police used force when protesters tried to breach the police barricade set adjacent to Kakrial Mosque at about 12:00 noon.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police鈥檚 Ramna Division deputy commissioner Masud Alam said that the police had to take action when protesters tried to breach the police barricade near Jamuna as all types of gatherings and processions were prohibited in the area.
After the police action, the protesters staged a sit-in in front of the barricade, which continued till the filing of the report at 10:00pm.
A representative team of JnU administration, including vice-chancellor Rezaul Karim, registrar Sheikh Giash Uddin and proctor Muhammad Tazammol Hoque went to the chief adviser鈥檚 office in the afternoon to discuss the demands and the situation.
Government Titumir College students staged a demonstration on their campus in the evening expressing solidarity with JnU students and protesting against the police action.
Socialist Student Front, Bangladesh Students鈥� Union, Students鈥� Federation of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad issued separate statements condemning the police action.
On Tuesday, a delegation of JnU teachers and students held a meeting with the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh. With no favourable outcome from the meeting, the student alliance 鈥楯uly Unity,鈥� comprising various political, cultural, and social groups on JnU campus, announced the long march, reported 抖阴精品 correspondent at JnU.