http://www.newagebd.com/2008/may/11/front.html#1
100 hurt in fresh clashes at Polytech Institute
Institution closed for indefinite period, halls vacated
Staff Correspondent
The Dhaka Polytechnic Institute at Tejgaon was closed for an
indefinite period after the students had clashed with lawmen for the
second consecutive day on Saturday over the death of one of their
fellows in a road accident Friday night.
At least a hundred people, including policemen and students, were
injured in Saturday=EF=BF=BDs clash.
The institution authorities after an emergency meeting ordered the
residents to vacate the Latif Hall, Zahir Raihan Hall, Kazi Motahar
Hossain Hall and Chhatri Nibash, a hall for female students, by 5:00pm
Saturday. All the classes and examinations were also suspended for an
indefinite period.
Several hundred students took to the streets and went on the
rampage on the Tongi Diversion Road stretch between the Sat Rasta and
Nabisco crossings for about two hours, suspending traffic for about
five hours till 2:15pm.
Witnesses said the trouble began in the morning when the residents
of Latif Hall split in small groups damaged seven buses in front of
the institution at around 9:15am.
As law enforcers tried to disperse the students by charging at them
with truncheons, they clashed with the lawmen by pelting them with
stones and damaged a dozen vehicles stranded both ends of the road
stretch.
In a few minutes, the situation turned more violent when several
hundred students of the neighbouring Institute of Glass and Ceramic
joined the demonstrators in attack on the lawmen.
The students took shelters in alleys of the industrial area and
sporadically clashed with law enforcers sporadically, deployed
earlier. The police deployment was reinforced and the lawmen fired 100
rubbers bullets and teargas shells, injuring at least 50 people.
The education ministry at one point asked the students to vacate
the halls by 1:00pm. The students then occupied the roofs and
balconies of the Latif Hall and clashed violently with the police.
The police then raided the hall and beat up several students. About
50 students were injured in all.
Of the injured lawmen, Tejgaon zone deputy commissioner Mahbubur
Rahman, assistant deputy commissioner Walid Hossain, Tejgaon
Industrial Area police officer-in-charge Shafiqul Islam Sikdar,
Tejgaon police officer-in-charge Lutfor Rahman and Mohammadpur police
officer-in-charge Shibly Noman, inspector (riot) Babul Miah, and
subinspector Yakub Ali were admitted to hospital.
The students placed 12-point demands, including compensation for
student killed in the road accident, setting up speed-breakers in
front of the institution, banning movement of heavy vehicles by the
institution and half transport fare for the students.
The principal along with other teachers reached the place and held
an emergency meeting with the students at around 1:30pm and the police
managed to control the situation.
The authority later closed the institution for an indefinite period
and asked the students to vacate their halls by 5:00pm.
The institution principal, Shamsur Rahman, said, =EF=BF=BDWe are trying
t=
o
meet most of the reasonable demands of the students as soon as
possible.=EF=BF=BD
A final-year civil engineering student, Shoheb Ahmed, said,
=EF=BF=BDThe
authorities forced us to vacate the hall, by closing the institution
for an indefinite period. But our examinations will begin on April
18.=EF=BF=BD
Situation remained tensed in and around the institution. A large
number of lawmen remained deployed in the area. Most students vacated
the halls by 7:30pm.
A second-year civil engineering student, Mohammad Ashiqul Alam, was
run over by a bus as he was getting off the vehicle in the Sat Rasta
crossing Friday night.
The students clashed with lawmen, injuring 30 people, including
policemen and students. The students damaged several score vehicles
and set fire to a bus in front of the institute.
Subinspector Mahbubur Rahman, the duty officer at Tejgaon
Industrial Area police, told New Age, =EF=BF=BDNo case was filed till
Saturd=
ay
evening. But the police were preparing to file cases in this
connection.=EF=BF=BD
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