Dhaka College students clash with New Market traders

Bangladesh desk: The students of Dhaka College clashed with the traders of New Market in the capital on Monday night.

According to witnesses and police sources, few students of Dhaka College locked into an altercation with a trader at New Market around 11.00 pm. At that time, three students were beaten by the traders.

Later, students of Dhaka College came to New Market area and started vandalizing in that area which leads to clashes.

Being informed, police rushed to the spot and lobbed teargas shells to bring the situation under control. Several people, including police members, were injured during the chases between the two sides.

At one stage of the clashes the students took up position inside the campus of Dhaka College and traders are on the streets. Traffic movement remained suspended in that area for over two hours during the clashes.

Large numbers of police have been deployed in the New Market area to prevent clashes.

Several students of Dhaka College alleged that one of their classmates was attacked by the traders in New Market. In protest, hundreds of students from the residential hall of Dhaka College came out of the hall with sticks and went to New Market. During this time some shops in New Market were vandalized and some traders were also beaten. The two sides locked into clashes when the traders of New Market came out with sticks.

On the other hand, the traders said that some students of Dhaka College came to take snacks at a fast food shop in New Market at night. They locked into an altercation with the shop traders while they were leaving without paying the bill. After that the students of the college came and started vandalizing the shops.

Meanwhile, Harunur Rashid, additional deputy commissioner (Ramna zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said several members of the police were injured in the clash.

“We came to the spot immediately after the clash started. We found both the students and trader were locked into clashes and both sides were throwing brickbats. After two and a half hours, it was possible to bring the situation under control.”

He said, the students have entered the campus and traders returned to their shops.

Sub-Inspector of New Market Police Station Rumi Tabrez said, “A trader from New Market made a phone call to National Emergency Service 999 and said that students of Dhaka College had attacked their shops.”