Law enforcers baton-charged and fired tear gas shells on protesting engineering university students when they were marching towards state guesthouse Jamuna this afternoon.

Around 1:30pm, the students began their procession from Shahbagh and were intercepted near the InterContinental Hotel when they tried to break through a barricade. Police also hurled several sound grenades to disperse them.

Resisted by the law enforcers, they sat on the road in front of the hotel. But police used water cannon to free the road.

Several students and a policeman were injured as both sides hurled brick chunks at each other.

By 3:00pm, engineering students and law enforcement were in a standoff in front of Hotel InterContinental.

Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Ramna Division Police, said police had to take action when the students reached near Jamuna, breaking their barricade. Several police personnel were injured as protesters threw brickbats, he added.

Mir Asaduzzaman, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Ramna Division Police, said the protesters had turned violent, throwing bricks and attempting to move towards Jamuna, the Chief Adviser's official residence.

"To bring the situation under control and restore traffic flow, police used tear gas, sound grenades and water cannons," he said.

Meanwhile, several protesters claimed that police charged them with batons despite their peaceful protest.

Sifat Rana, a student of Buet's IP department, said, "Around 1:30pm, as students moved from Banglamotor towards Shahbagh, police began firing tear gas shells and using water cannons."

"At least three to four students were injured," he claimed.

Students of engineering universities, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), had earlier blocked the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka this morning to press home their three-point demand.

Photo: Rashed Shumon

Earlier, around 11:30am, students of engineering universities, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), blocked the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka to press home their three-point demand, said Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khalid Mansur.

Their demands are:

• They have been demanding recruitment for the 9th grade (assistant engineer or equivalent) must be conducted through competitive examinations, and candidates must have at least a BSc degree in engineering. No promotion will be allowed through quotas, and equivalent positions cannot be created under different titles for the purpose of promotion.
• Recruitment examinations for the 10th grade technical post (sub-assistant engineer or equivalent) must be open to both diploma and BSc degree holders.
• Strict legal measures must be taken against individuals using the title "engineer" without holding a BSc degree in engineering. Non-accredited BSc engineering courses must be brought under proper accreditation by IEB-BAETE through appropriate procedures.

The blockade is part of their "Long March to Dhaka" programme announced yesterday. Vehicular movement in the Shahbagh area remained suspended, causing severe traffic congestion, the police official said. Many commuters had to walk to reach their destinations as vehicles were diverted to alternative routes.

They also demanded that legal action be taken against those who threatened Roknuzzaman with death.

Yesterday, Buet students blocked the Shahbagh intersection and announced the "Long March to Dhaka" programme, urging all students to gather at Shahbagh today.

The students had earlier boycotted their classes and examinations on the same grounds.