At least seven Jagannath University students, including a female one, were injured after being allegedly beaten inside the Dayaganj Traffic Police Box in Old Dhaka on Monday.
According to witnesses, at about 12:00pm, a bus carrying JnU students stopped at the Dayaganj traffic signal.
When a few students got down the bus to ease the traffic congestion there, three traffic assistants on duty confronted them and demanded identification. An argument ensued, after which the assistants allegedly dragged the students inside the police box and beat them with batons.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police appointed a number of students as traffic assistants early this year.
The injured students are Talha of computer science and engineering department (20 batch), Al-Amin of accounting and information systems department (19 batch), Sohel of sociology department (19 batch), Chaiti Alam of sociology department (15 batch), Mohon Khandaker of sociology department (19 batch), Sohan Pramanik of Islamic studies (15 batch) and Al-Amin of chemistry department (19 batch).
The injured were treated at Dayaganj Lab Aid Hospital.
The incident triggered an immediate protest as enraged students besieged the police box. A joint team of police and army personnel later detained four traffic assistants.
Talha said that the traffic personnel 鈥榖ecame aggressive without reason鈥� and took them inside the police box to assault them. Sohan Pramanik said that he was beaten when he rushed to the spot after hearing juniors were attacked.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Wari division deputy commissioner Harun-or-Rashid confirmed that a scuffle had occurred following an argument and said action would follow an investigation.
JnU proctor Tazammol Hoque said that four individuals involved had been detained and assured that appropriate action would be taken against those responsible.