'March for Justice' met with police action, arrests
In Rajshahi, police detained four protestors; In Sylhet, police dispersed protesters by firing teargas shells and throwing sound grenades; protests were also obstructed in Dhaka, Barishal, Thakurgaon and in other places
Students on Wednesday (31 July) faced crackdowns as they demonstrated across the country, including Sylhet, Chattogram, Rajshahi and Khulna, as part of the "March for Justice" programme in protest against the killings, attacks and mass arrests centring the quota reform movement.
In Dhaka, police detained at least seven students near the High Court.
People began gathering near the High Court before a hearing on a petition to seek directives to prevent law enforcers from shooting students during protests. The hearing was postponed because one of the judges fell ill.
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Following this, lawyers and students held processions around the court and at Dhaka University's Doyel Chattar in the afternoon. This students were detained in the area and most of them were later released.
At one point, police locked the High Court's main gate, trapping some lawyers inside. The lawyers responded by chanting slogans.
By 1:10pm, large groups of students and some teachers gathered at Doyel Chattar and TSC areas of Dhaka University, holding rallies and chanting "We want justice."
Shehreen Amin Monami, a faculty member from the Public Administration department at DU, was reportedly injured in a scuffle with police near Curzon Hall.
In Mirpur, students held a procession as part of the "March for Justice" programme. Police on bikes surrounded the protesters on a road in Banarasi Palli. They later intervened, sending the protesters back in rickshaws, according to locals.
Meanwhile, teachers and students at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) held protest marches. Around noon, teachers started their march from the BUET cafeteria and ended at the Central Shaheed Minar.
At 1pm, BUET students began a procession from the main gate of the campus. They joined other students at the High Court area, passing through Central Shaheed Minar and Doyel Chattar.
Students at Jahangirnagar University held a protest march and a signature campaign to demand the release of two fellow students. Teachers from various departments joined the march and the signature campaign to show their support.
Teachers at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) held a gathering to demand the release of detained students, the withdrawal of cases against them, an end to oppression, and a better learning environment.
At the event, Salimullah Khan, a professor at ULAB's General Education Department and director of the Center for Advanced Theory, said the recent killings were state-sponsored and done by state forces and their associates.
He called for an international investigation into these incidents.
Police obstruct protest at Ctg court premises
In Chattogram, police blocked a protest march Wednesday morning as it headed to the court premises.
Defying the barricade, protesters continued their march and gathered at the court premises. Pro-BNP lawyers joined the students in solidarity, while pro-government lawyers were also present, our correspondent reports.
Teachers' organisations, 'Nipiron Birodhi Shikkhak Oikya' (Anti-Oppression Teachers' Unity) and 'Nipiron Birodhi Shikkhak Samaj' (Anti-Oppression Teachers' Society) of Chittagong University, held a programme in front of the university's Shaheed Minar.
They questioned why students were shot at during their peaceful protest.
Police use teargas, sound grenades on protesters in Sylhet
In Sylhet, police dispersed protesters by firing teargas and sound grenades. Protesters had gathered at Shahjalal University Gate at 11am in support of the "March for Justice" programme.
By 11:30am, police removed them from the university gate, prompting the protesters to march towards the court point of the city.
After reaching Subidbazar, police stopped them with barricades. The protesters removed the barricades and continued, but police used teargas and sound grenades to disperse them. The situation escalated near the Sylhet Press Club as protesters threw bricks.
Teachers from the university participated in two events under the banners "Protest Rally and Solidarity Gathering" and "Teachers' Assembly."
15 Injured in Barishal; 10 detained
At least 15 people, including two photojournalists, were injured in clashes between police and students during the "March for Justice" protests in various parts of Barishal city on Wednesday.
Kotwali police alone detained at least 10 students.
Police arrest four in Rajshahi
In Rajshahi, police arrested four protesters in front of the court premises around 2:30pm. One of the arrested students said, "We are students of Bangladesh University of Professionals. We went out to see the situation. Detaining us is wrong."
Earlier, a group of eight to ten people threw bricks and vandalised a police vehicle at Mahish Bathan Court Square around 2:15pm. The police dispersed them by firing blank rubber bullets but could not confirm their identities.
Progressive teachers and members of the Nationalist Teachers' Forum at Rajshahi University organised a procession and protest rally on campus, upholding the values and spirit of the Liberation War.
30 detained in Khulna
In Khulna, students began marching at the Royal intersection Wednesday morning. They encountered police deployed in the area. Student protesters claimed that the police detained 30 people from the procession.
Attacks, arrests by police reported in various districts
In Dinajpur, police injured at least 20 students during a programme, using batons and chasing them. Nineteen students were arrested, and police removed red ribbons from several students' heads.
In Jashore, DB police allegedly took away five students, including Rashed Khan, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, during a human chain event. Rashed Khan was later released.
In Gazipur, students managed to hold a protest despite repeated police obstructions Students alleged that several were arrested during the demonstration.
In Thakurgaon, police baton-charged and injured at least two students. Protests under the "March for Justice" banner also took place in Habiganj, Noakhali, Bogra, Mymensingh, and Lakshmipur.
