Demonstrations demanding reforms to quota in government jobs have resumed on the Dhaka University campus on Monday following overnight violence with protests erupting at several other educational institutions in the country.
Around 12pm, protesters marched towards the capital’s Shahbagh intersection when police used teargas to disperse them.
Thousands of students, who took part in the procession, have now gathered at the Raju Memorial to hold demonstrations. They were later joined by students from the residential halls of the Dhaka University.
Meanwhile, protests have erupted at other educational institutions across the country.
Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) in Savar have clashed with police during a demonstration condemning police action against the Dhaka University protests.
JU students gathered in front of the university central gate and blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway around 12pm.
Half an hour later police began using teargas, rubber bullets, and batons to disperse the protest. The protesting students retaliated by hurling brickbats.
At least 15 to 20 students were injured in the clash and seven to eight of them have been taken to hospital.
The highway has remained blocked following the clash.
Protesters in Chittagong University have blocked the shuttle train in solidarity to the demonstrations in Dhaka.
The protesters blocked the shuttle train at the city’s Sholsahar Station around 10:30am on Monday.
Nearly 200 to 250 swarmed the Sholsahar Station, most of them CU students, to successfully block the shuttle train.
The protesters continued occupying the rail station platform until 1:30pm amid a huge police deployment in the area, but no clashes were reported.
Students of Rajshahi University (RU) have demonstrated on the campus.
They have also blocked the highway near the campus, severely hampering the inter-district traffic in the northern region.
In Sylhet, protests have erupted on the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
Students blocked the university’s main entrance since 7am, but moved away from it almost an hour later on BCL activists’ request. Demonstration, however, continued nearby the main entrance.
In the southern city of Khulna, students of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) have boycotted classes.
No demonstrations are being held on the campus on Monday, but on Sunday students demonstrated in the city’s Zero Point but the police managed to remove them 15 minutes later.
In Rangpur, students of Rokeya University and the Carmichael College have boycotted classes to take out processions and hold rallies in the city.
Protesters blocked a key entry-point of the city causing inter-district traffic to halt. Around two hours later, the blockade was lifted upon police’s request.