Five killed as BCL, Quota protesters clash in Dhaka, Ctg, Rangpur
BCL activists attack quota protesters at Dhaka University. | Star Mail photo
At least five people were killed and scores injured in clashes between quota protestors and ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League in Dhaka, Chattogram and Rangpur Tuesday afternoon.
Of them, one was killed in Dhaka, three in Chattogram and one was killed in Rangpur, police and officials at hospitals said.
In Dhaka, an unidentified youth, aged about 25, was killed during a clash between Bangladesh Chhatra League and quota protesters in Dhaka College area in the capital.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital outpost in-charge Bachchu Mia confirmed the matter and said that a pedestrian brought the critically injured youth to the hospital.
Later, the on-duty doctor at the hospital declared him dead, said Bachchu.
He also said that the deceased had injury marks on his face. ‘The body is kept at the DMCH hospital morgue,’ he added.
Bachchu said that a number of injured students were also brought to DMCH for treatment.
In Chattogram, three people including a student of Chattogram College were killed during a clash between the quota protestors and BCL activists in Chattogram in the afternoon.
Two of the deceased are Wasim Akram, 24, a Student of Chittagong College and M Faruk, 25, a worker of a furniture shop while the identity of the other one could not be known immediately.
Chattogram Medical College Hospital director Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin said that the three were brought dead to the hospital at about 4:30pm.
The clash started at about 3:00pm in Sholoshagar area in Chattogram, police officials said, referring to witnesses.
In Rangpur, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur was killed and sixteen others were injured during a clash between the police and quota protesters in front of the university on Tuesday.
The youth is Abu Sayeed, 25, son of Maqbul Hossain from Babanpur, Pirganj, Rangpur.
Abu Sayeed received bullet wounds and was rushed to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival and sixteen others, who were injured during the clash, have been admitted to the hospital, said Israrul Haque, personal assistant to the director of RMCH.
The students staged protest in front of the university demanding reform of the quota system in government jobs.
The clash broke out between 2:30pm and 3:00pm when police charged batons on the protesters and also fired bullets.
Students of different universities launched quota movement on July 1 demanding the cancellation of a High Court order dated June 5 that asked the government to reinstate 30 per cent job quotas for the descendants of freedom fighters.
