Protesters take to streets again

Quota reform protesters yesterday took to the streets again in different parts of the country, including Dhaka and Chattogram, but the law enforcers broke up most of their demonstrations and detained at least 80 of them.
Ruling party men also obstructed the protesters from holding demonstrations in some places.
Students from different universities and colleges held the demonstrations protesting the “detention of six coordinators of the quota reform protest by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and forcing them to issue a statement on ending their protests”.
In Chattogram, police detained at least 10 students after breaking up a protest by some 100 students in Jamal Khan area yesterday afternoon.
Witnesses said university and college students gathered at Cheragi intersection around 3:00pm to hold a rally as part of the nationwide protests. A large number of police, BGB, APBn, and army personnel were deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
Tension rose when 100-150 leaders and activists of the Jubo League and Chhatra League, led by Chattogram City Corporation ward-21 Councillor Saibal Das Sumon, reached the area and verbally abused the protesters.
At one stage, the Jubo League and Chhatra League men beat up two students and handed them over to cops, who got them on to a prison van.
As some students attempted to free the detainees, police dispersed them by using batons.
Protesters then gathered near the Kadam Mubarak Mosque and chanted slogans.
Around 4:00pm, police fired sound grenades and tear gas shells to break up the demonstrators. Three cops and a journalist were injured in the incident. The journalist is Abu Jabed, videographer of News 24.
Another group of protesters threw brickbats at police near Andarkilla Shahi Jame Masjid around 5:00pm, prompting law enforcers to fire rubber bullets and tear gas shells at demonstrators.
Mostafijur Rahman, deputy commissioner (south) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said police took action as all gatherings and protests are banned during the pause in curfew.
In the capital, law enforcers yesterday detained at least 70 people from different areas.
The protesters on Sunday night announced on social media that they would stage demonstrations at eight locations in the capital — Science Lab, Gate no-8 of North South University, Jatiya Press Club, BNS Centre in Uttara, Mirpur-10, ECB Chattar in Mirpur, Rampura, and Mohakhali.
Witnesses said several hundred protesters gathered near the ECB Chattar around noon. Police chased the demonstrators along the road when they started chanting slogans around 1:00pm.
Police detained at least 18 demonstrators from there.
Masum Siddique, inspector (investigation) of Cantonment Police Station, told The Daily Star that the detainees, including some students, threw brickbats at police.
Law enforcers detained at least 10 protesters from Mirpur-10 intersection, 10 from in front of Star Kabab in Dhanmondi, two from Purana Paltan, six from Badda, and 10 from Uttara, police sources said.
Seeking anonymity, two security staffers of a private university in Bashundhara Residential Area said, “Students were standing in front of gates 1, 2 and 5 of the university since 10:00am. Police detained at least 15 of them and got them on to three police vans until 1:30pm.”
In Rajshahi, several hundred students of Rajshahi University blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway from 12:20pm to 1:00pm protesting the detention of the six coordinators of the quota reform movement.+
They chanted slogans demanding justice for the deaths of fellow students and those from the administration responsible for the deaths be held accountable.
At Barishal University, Chhatra League activists allegedly attacked protesters near the university’s administrative building around 2:00pm, leaving at least 15 students injured.
Sujoy Subho, one of the injured, said some 40-50 Chhatra League men, armed with sticks, attacked the students when they were discussing their next course of action.
Students of Government Brojomohun (BM) College held a protest in Barisal city’s Nathullabad Central Bus Terminal area.
Speaking at the protest, the demonstrators vowed to continue their movement protesting the killings, arrests, and torture of students.