A youth who was not involved but simply happened to be in the vicinity during violent clashes between Dhaka College students and New Market traders since Monday night has died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
The deceased Nahid Hossain, 20, worked as a delivery man for Dlink courier service, and happened to be passing through the area on Tuesday when he was hit on the head by a brick.
DMCH resident doctor Md Alauddin said that Nahid was put on life support and died at around 9.40 pm.
Another young man injured in the clash, Mursalin (26), a clothes shop employee, is in critical condition at DMCH, said Dr Alauddin.
Over 30 people, including journalists and students, were injured Tuesday as students of Dhaka College locked into a series of clashes again with traders of New Market around the Nilkhet intersection.
The whole area turned into a battleground after a fresh clash erupted between them around 10am today, as a sequel to Monday night’s tensions, said witnesses.
Of the injured, some 24 people were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said a source.
The clashes disrupted vehicular movement from Science Lab to Azimpur and created a long tailback on the Mirpur Road and adjacent areas.
Vehicular movement returned to normalcy around 6pm as police dispersed the Dhaka College students after lobbing tear gas shells.
Shop owners in the area kept their shutters down since morning.
The fresh clash erupted as the students went to the intersection around 10am to form a human chain in protest against last night’s alleged attack on them by members of the New Market Traders’ Association.
Some traders of New Market “teased and provoked” the protesters, triggering the morning’s clashes, according to witnesses.
Brick chips and crude bombs were thrown during the chase and counter-chase between the two groups while police lobbed tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
“Around 12pm fire broke out in some shops at Chandrima Super Market and Nurjahan Super Market after crude bombs were thrown at those allegedly by students. It was later doused but a vehicle of the Fire Service sent there could not reach the spot as the traders did not allow it to move,” said Khaleda Yasmin, Deputy Officer (media), Fire Service and Civil Defence.
“At least 30 students of Dhaka College were injured in the clash that started last night”, said Dr Md Abdul Kuddus Shikder, Secretary of Dhaka College Teachers Council.
Sharif, Assistant Commissioner (New Market zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said,”I am currently undergoing treatment at a hospital after suffering injuries while controlling the situation last night. The students took to the streets again in the morning to protest last night’s attack and some of them said they would not let the traders open their shops until the perpetrators of last night’s alleged attack are brought to justice.”
According to the students, two of their peers are being treated at Square Hospital as they “sustained injuries in their eyes when police fired rubber bullets last night.”
UNB photojournalists Abu Sufiyan Jewel and Rakibul Hasan, Deepto TV’s journalist Asif Sumit, and its cameraperson, SA TV’s reporter Tuhin and cameraperson Kabir Hossain, MY TV’s reporter Danny Drong and RTV’s camera person Sumon Dey were among the injured.
Photographer of the Daily Star Prabir Das and reporter of Ajker Patrika Al Amin Raju were allegedly beaten up by the traders during the clash.
Around midnight on Monday, a clash ensued between the traders and college students, with the latter alleging that few of their peers were thrashed and stabbed by a couple of shopkeepers when they had gone to the market for shopping, and refused to pay the bill at an eatery.
Police lobbed teargas shells and fired rubber bullets to bring the situation under control after nearly four hours on the first night.
Traffic on Mirpur Road came to a halt for a few hours due to the clash, in which some cops also sustained injuries.
Source: United News of Bangladesh