UNB, Dhaka
Over 200 people were injured, including policemen, as polytechnic students yesterday clashed with law-enforcers during demonstrations in different districts against a new examination system enforced by the Technical Education Board.
Reports from UNB correspondents said the unruly protestors also went on vandalism in their institutions and damaged several vehicles during their blockade programme staged to press for cancellation of the exam system.
The worst outbreaks of violence were reported from Rajshahi where over 100 people, including 10 cops, were injured in widespread clashes between police and students in and around Rajshahi Polytechnic Institute campus in the morning.
During the three-hour running battles, police fired rubber bullets and teargas shells on the protestors in their frantic bid to bring the situation under control, official sources and witnesses said.
The law-enforcers arrested seven students during the widespread clashes and took them to Boalia police station.
Meanwhile, the students damaged five cars, including police car, during the rampage-rated worst in recent times in this northwestern city.
Campus sources said the students of Rajshahi Polytechnic Institute, demanding changes in subject-based referred examinations, brought out procession at about 9 am.
“Trouble erupted when police resisted the students and charged baton on them. The students also hurled brickbats at law enforcers for reprisals,” says a spot account of the scenes.
Chased by the police, the students shut down the main gate of the campus and damaged at least 15 rooms, including the office room of the principal, examination control room and classrooms of the institute. “At one stage, police entered the campus and started beating the unruly students with sticks and rifle butts and dispersed them,” the report said.
But the students wouldn’t give in. They regrouped and chased back the police personnel, the sources said.
With reinforcements, the law-enforcers again chased the students, charged baton on them when the students took shelter in Shah Niyamatullah and Shah Monayem hostels. The cops also lobbed teargas canisters and fired rubber bullets into the hostels.
They chased the students and beat them up at the nearby market, too, panicking the businessmen.
After receiving the information, City Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton went to the scene at about 10:30 am and called upon the students to cool down.
The police went out of the campus when the Mayor asked deputy police commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Sajjadul Karim to pull out his force.
The Mayor assured the students that “final decision in this regard would come after the meeting of Education Ministry”.
Polytechnic Institute Principal Joynul Abedin said he would take initiative to have the arrested students released and for treatment of the injured students.
Some of the injured students were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
Transport movement halted on the Rajshahi-Naogaon highway for three hours amid the troubles.
Vehicular movement on the highway became normal at about 12 noon.
Local police said 10 cops were injured during the campus rioting. They were admitted to RMCH. Condition of three of them was said to be “critical”.
As per the previous referred examination rules, if a student could not come successful in a certain subject, the student could appear at the examination every year until s/he passed it. But, under the new rules, the unsuccessful students can reappear only once.
In Comilla, around 50 people, including policemen, were injured as the students of Comilla Polytechnic Institute clashed with RAB troops and police.
Witnesses said some students of the institute brought out a procession on the campus at about 10am demanding cancellation of the new rules.
At one stage of the demo, the protesters took to the street and put barricades on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Batabaria, Nandanpur, Haratali and Jangalia areas, disrupting traffic on the busy route for several hours.
A violent clash broke out between the law-enforcers and the students as they tried to resist the rowdy protestors.
“The area turned into a veritable battleground as the students attacked the law-enforcers with rods and sticks and pelted brickbats while the law-enforcers fired some 100 teargas shells and rubber bullets and charged baton on the students,” says a firsthand report.
At least 50 people, including a number of police, were injured during the clash that lasted nearly three hours.
The unruly students also damaged 20 vehicles partially during the protests and launched vandalism at Kotbari police outpost.
Later, police high officials intervened and brought the situation under control at about 1:00pm on assurance of meeting the student demand in consultation with the authorities.
Back to the campus, the students ransacked the office of Principal Abdur Rauf and confined him inside for getting specific deadline for meeting their demands.
Police picked up seven students from the spot on charge of their involvement in ransacking activities.
Traffic on the busy highway resumed at 1pm when the law-enforcers calmed the melee.
At about 3pm, the students again attacked the house of the principal of the polytechnic institute and set fire to valuables. They also damaged a number of college-rooms and computers.
Meanwhile, the Polytechnic Institute authorities announced hostels of the institution closed for indefinite period following the campus violence and asked the students to vacate the dorms by 6pm.
Another report from Patuakhali said at least 50 people, including 10 policemen, were injured as students of Patuakhali Polytechnic Institute and police ran riot in Chourasta area of the town in the morning.
Sources said the students came to the area in a procession at about 10:00am and blocked the Patuakhali-Dhaka highway to demand cancellation of the new exam system.
When police tried to remove the barricades, the agitated students attacked them, triggering a violent clash. Chase-and counter-chase took place during the two-hour melee that left 50 people injured.
The unruly students also damaged three buses, two police vehicles and 20 shops while police lobbed teargas and charged baton to disperse the protestors.
Later, the students removed the roadblocks at about 12 noon on assurance of meeting their demands.
Twelve of the injured were admitted to General Hospital and private clinics.
In Rangpur, the students of Rangpur Polytechnic College clashed with police near the campus at noon, leaving over 30 people injured.
Witnesses said clash erupted when police resisted the angry students from blocking the nearby road.
The law-enforcers also fired 10 teargas shells to quell the trouble.
In Sherpur, the students of Sherpur Polytechnic College put barricades on the Dhaka-Sherpur highway in front of Bhatshal Polytechnic College at about 9am on the same demand, disrupting traffic for two hours.
Over 50 students of Satkhira Polytechnic Institute also blockaded the Satkhira-Jessore highway in front of the institution.
The students set fire to a taxicab and vandalized several others during their protest.
The agitated students ended their blockade programme at about 11am as Principal Engineer GM Azisur Rahman assured them of meeting their demand.
Earlier, the students of Chittagong and Mymensingh Polytechnic Institutes had staged violent demonstrations in their respective areas on Monday to press home the same demand.
Courtesy nation.ittefaq.com
