Dhaka rocked by clashes between students, and paramilitary personnel, several injured

Digital Desk: Violence erupted in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on Sunday night as clashes broke out between students and paramilitary personnel demanding job regularisation. The conflict, which occurred near the Secretariat, left at least 50 people injured, according to reports from The Daily Star.

The incident began around 9:20 p.m. when students from Dhaka University gathered upon hearing that members of the Ansar, a paramilitary auxiliary force, had detained several students, including Nahid Islam, a student leader and adviser in the caretaker government. The students reportedly attempted to disperse the Ansar members, who were protesting for permanent positions within the government.

The situation quickly escalated, with both sides hurling bricks and chasing each other. The police and army were deployed to control the unrest. Earlier in the day, Ansar members had ended their protest after receiving assurances from Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, the interim government's home affairs adviser. However, tensions flared up again as students accused the Ansar force of not honouring the agreement.

Student protest coordinator Hasnat Abdullah took to Facebook, accusing former Ansar director general Maj Gen AKM Aminul Haque of perpetuating the blockade of the Secretariat despite the government’s assurances. "The autocratic forces are trying to make a comeback through the Ansar force," Abdullah alleged. He claimed that even after the Ansar members’ demands were met, students remained locked inside the Secretariat.

The news of the continued blockade prompted over a thousand students and others, many armed with sticks, to march on the Secretariat. Violence erupted when they encountered the Ansar members, leading to reports of dispersed Ansar personnel being attacked.

Nahid Islam, the information and broadcasting adviser, who had also been detained earlier, accused the Ansar demonstration of being part of a larger conspiracy. He vowed to take legal action against those involved.

Meanwhile, Maj Gen Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud, the director general of Ansar and Village Defence Force, defended his force, claiming that those who continued the protest were not Ansar members but outsiders. He promised to take "lawful action" against those responsible for the continued unrest.