A student protest in Dhaka escalated into violence on Tuesday as demonstrators clashed with police outside the Secretariat, leaving dozens injured. The fighting is over now, but the area is filled with security forces.
It all started in the early afternoon when students from several colleges came together at Gate No. 1, demanding one thing: the resignation of Education Adviser CR Abrar.
What started as chanting and blockades quickly turned confrontational.
At one point, protesters forced open the main gate and entered the government complex. Witnesses claim that property was damaged by some students after they got inside.
Tear gas, sound grenades, and batons were used by police to push back protesters. Multiple rounds of crowd control measures were used as demonstrators were pushed back toward the Gulistan National Stadium Market and nearby areas.
The confrontation spread.
By late afternoon, clashes had reached Zero Point and its surrounding roads. Protesters hurled objects. Police advanced in waves. The air filled with smoke and shouts.
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As evening fell, the streets gradually cleared.
Trapped inside the Secretariat as the unrest raged, government employees could only wait. They finally began to emerge from Gate No. 1 once a wave of reinforcements from the RAB, BGB, and the Coast Guard helped disperse the crowds outside.
But for the students, the ordeal was far from over. Authorities at Dhaka Medical College Hospital later reported that more than 70 had been brought in for treatment, most of them hurt by police batons.
Several received treatment and were later discharged.
For now, the streets are quiet. But there’s a feeling the situation might not stay that way. Students say their demand remains unmet. Police remain on alert.
And what happened on Tuesday might just be the beginning.
