A clash broke out between police-secretariat staff and students when a group of students forcefully entered the Secretariat premises on Tuesday afternoon at one stage of their intense demonstrations to press home a set of demands.
Police fired teargas shells and charged batons to disperse them, witnesses said.
Several vehicles were also vandalised near Secretariat, one of the Key Point Installations (KPI) areas in the capital.
The protests began around 2:15pm at Gate No. 1, where students gathered and started chanting slogans, including ‘Fake, fake!’, “Why did my brother die? The administration must answer!” and “Action, action, direct action!”
Sources said some of the demonstrators were students who failed this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations and are demanding a reevaluation of their results.
Others joined from the capital’s Uttara Diabari area, protesting Monday’s crash of an Air Force aircraft into Milestone School and College, which left 31 dead and at least 165 injured.
Meanwhile, another group of students rallied from the Dhaka Education Board office and marched towards the Secretariat, also demanding revaluation for SSC exam failures.
Law enforcement agencies, including police and army personnel, deployed in and around the Secretariat to maintain public order.
Due to the gate closures, vehicles inside the compound are unable to exit, resulting in severe traffic congestion and growing concern among officials and staff.
Students from various educational institutions gathered in front of the Secretariat at around 2:30 PM.
“Even after such a major tragedy at Milestone College, today’s HSC exam wasn’t initially postponed. Why did the decision have to come at 3 AM? After waking up, preparing for the exam, and leaving home, we suddenly heard the test was postponed. We don’t want to see such thoughtless officials anymore. That’s why we’re here demanding their resignation,” said Zonayed Ahmed, an HSC candidate from Cantonment School and College.
Eyewitnesses said that around 2:30 PM, students marched to Gate No. 1 of the Secretariat and began chanting slogans like:
“Fake, fake!” and “Why did my brother die? The administration must answer!”
Members of law enforcement, including the police, have been stationed at all gates of the Secretariat.
Several of the protesting students revealed that some of them had marched to the Secretariat gate from the Dhaka Education Board office. Others joined the protest to demand re-evaluation of exam papers for those who failed the SSC exams.
Due to the gate closures, numerous vehicles are now stuck inside the Secretariat premises. Law enforcement remains on high alert to keep the situation under control.
Today’s HSC and equivalent exams were postponed following the plane crash on the campus of Milestone School and College in Uttara, which resulted in casualties. However, the announcement came very late—at around 2:45 AM early Tuesday.
Initially, the news of the exam postponement was shared on Facebook by Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, and Mahfuz Alam, information adviser to the interim government. Later, around 7:15 AM, Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser of the interim government, formally confirmed the decision. The Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee also announced the postponement.