Violence erupted in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Sunday night as students clashed with hundreds of protesting paramilitary personnel seeking job regularisation. At least 50 people were injured, according to The Daily Star.
The clashes began around 9:20 p.m. near the Secretariat after Dhaka University students gathered upon hearing news that Ansar members, a paramilitary auxiliary force, had detained several students, including Nahid Islam, a student leader and adviser in the caretaker government. The students reportedly attempted to disperse the Ansar demonstration demanding permanent positions.
Both sides threw bricks and chased each other during the confrontation. Police and army personnel were deployed to control the situation.
Earlier in the day, Ansar members had ended their protest following assurances from Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, the interim government's home affairs adviser. However, tensions remained high as the students accused the Ansar force of reneging on the agreement.
Student protest coordinator Hasnat Abdullah took to Facebook, blaming former Ansar director general Maj Gen AKM Aminul Haque for the continued blockade of the Secretariat despite resolved demands.
"The autocratic forces are trying to make a comeback through the Ansar force," Abdullah said. "Even after their demands were met, we were kept locked in the Secretariat."
News of the continued blockade sparked further unrest as over a thousand students and others, many carrying sticks, converged on the Secretariat. Violence erupted after they encountered Ansar members. Following the clashes, reports emerged of dispersed Ansar members being attacked.
Information and broadcasting adviser Nahid Islam, himself a victim of the initial detention, accused the Ansar demonstration of being part of a larger conspiracy. "We will take legal action against those involved," Islam told reporters.
Maj Gen Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud, director general of Ansar and Village Defence Force, defended his force in a statement to The Daily Star. He claimed those who continued the protest "are not Ansar members. They are outsidersâ€æ They came with an additional set of clothes and their intention was different."
Mahmud vowed to take "lawful action" against those responsible for the continued protest.
