Police clashed with engineering students on Wednesday as they attempted to march from Shahbagh towards Chief Adviser’s official residence Jamuna under their declared “Long March to Dhaka” programme.
The confrontation broke out around 1:30pm in front of Hotel InterContinental when protesters tried to push through a police barricade. Law enforcers dispersed them by firing several rounds of tear gas shells and sound grenades.
Earlier in the day, the students had blocked Shahbagh for a second consecutive day, chanting slogans and demanding that their three-point charter be accepted by 1pm. They warned surrounding the Secretariat if the government failed to issue a gazette by the deadline.
The protesters’ chants included calls such as “No compromise, only struggle,” “Quota not talent, talent only,” “End illegal diploma quota,” and “Break the quota system, restore merit rights.”
Student leaders said the movement would continue until their demands were fulfilled and vowed to proceed towards Jamuna if necessary. Police meanwhile stood guard to prevent escalation and ensure security around the capital.
The three-point demand includes prohibiting diploma engineers from using the title of “engineer,” barring their promotion to the ninth grade, and reserving entry into tenth grade technical posts exclusively for graduates.