1,200 sued over attacks, vandalism during Tuesday's student protest at Secretariat

Police have filed a case against around 1,200 unidentified individuals over allegations of vandalism, causing damage and attempted murder during a student protest inside the Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday (22 July).

Sub-Inspector Golam Mukti Mahmud of the Secretariat Security Division filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station last night, police said.

Today (23 July), the case statement reached the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Saifuzzaman, who accepted the charges and ordered investigators to submit a report by 28 August, according to court sources.

According to the statement, between "1,000 to 1,200 unidentified students from various colleges" in Dhaka, along with "opportunistic miscreants", staged a "March to the Ministry of Education" protest, following the tragic incident at Milestone educational institution.

Among their demands was the delayed postponement of the HSC examinations.

Initially, the students marched towards the education board and the "Sikkha Bhaban", later redirected their rally and gathered in front of the secretariat in an attempt to reach the Ministry of Education.

As a precaution, all gates of the Bangladesh Secretariat were shut during the demonstration, it said.

The statement added that the protesters were repeatedly urged not to enter the premises. However, they broke through police barricades, created chaos in front of the main gate and forcibly entered the secretariat compound.

When law enforcement personnel, including police, military and ansar forces, tried to intervene, the demonstrators reportedly attacked them with sticks and hurled bricks and stones, "with intent to kill."

Several members of the security forces were seriously injured, it said.

The protesters also vandalised government vehicles, caused significant property damage and issued various threats, the statement added.