Police fire sound grenades, water cannons at protesting outsourcing workers in front of press club
Police have fired sound grenades and water cannons at workers of the Bangladesh Outsourcing Employees Welfare Association who blocked the road in front of the National Press Club for two hours demanding permanent employment.
Police were seen taking action against the protesters around 5:15pm today (22 February), our correspondent reports from the spot.
Earlier, more than five hundred outsourcing workers took position on the road in front of the National Press Club in the capital.
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More than a hundred police personnel were also deployed at the spot.
Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Ramna Division), said the protesters had been staging a sit-in at the Shaheed Minar area since morning, which authorities did not oppose. However, in the afternoon, they moved to the Press Club area and unexpectedly blocked both sides of the road.
"Police requested them to clear the busy streets and instead continue their demonstration on the footpath to prevent severe traffic congestion. The protesters were given 10 minutes to leave but refused. Even after repeated warnings via megaphone, they did not comply," he said.
"Police then fired water cannons and five rounds of sound grenades to disperse the crowd," he added.
Sardar Bulbul Ahmed, petrol inspector of Shahbagh Police Station, said he had arrived at the scene and requested the protesters to leave the road.
"You are causing public suffering. Traffic has stopped. If you do not leave the road, we will be forced to take action," he told the protesters on the microphone.
The agitating protesters said they would not leave the road until their demands were accepted.
