Bangladesh Crisis: Protest Turns Violent In Dhaka As Students Clash With Paramilitary Personnel, 50 injured

After a lull of several days, violence and clashes erupted again in Dhaka , resulting in injuries to over 50 people.

The clashes began when hundreds of students, many carrying sticks, marched towards the Secretariat where members of Ansar Bahini, a paramilitary force were staging a protest.

What sparked the violence?

The students, who had recently led an agitation that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, tried to evict the Ansar members, calling them "agents of autocracy". The Ansar members initially moved back but subsequently returned to hit the students with sticks and threw bricks at them.

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What are the student's demand?

The students were protesting against the "rest tradition" in the Ansar force, which requires members to take a six-month mandatory leave without pay after working for three consecutive years. The students accused the Ansar force of go back on an agreement with the interim government to abolish this tradition.

The clashes escalated, with both groups hurling bricks at each other.

Police and military forces were deployed to restore order, but tensions had already escalated. At least 50 people were injured in the violence.

The students blamed former Ansar director general Maj Gen AKM Aminul Haque for the continued blockade of the Secretariat, despite the demands being addressed. "The autocratic forces are trying to make a comeback through the Ansar force," said student protest coordinator Hasnat Abdullah.

The Ansar force defended their actions, claiming that those persisting in the protest were not Ansar members. "They are outsiders. They came with an additional set of clothes, and their intention was different," said Maj Gen Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud, director general of the Ansar and Village Defence Force.

What's next?

The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between students and the paramilitary forces in Bangladesh, with both sides accusing each other of violence and conspiracy.

The interim government has vowed to take legal action against those involved in the clashes.

(With agency inputs)