Police use water cannons, sound grenades to disperse protesting teachers' march to Jamuna
Police denies allegations of baton charges against the protesters.
Police today (15 September) used water cannons and sound grenades to disperse non-government primary school teachers who were demonstrating in Dhaka demanding nationalisation of their schools.
The teachers began marching towards Jamuna, the residence of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, from the National Press Club around 4pm, police said. As they reached the Kodom Fountain intersection near the High Court, police intercepted them.
At one stage, law enforcers fired sound grenades and sprayed water from cannons to scatter the demonstrators, said Mazharul Islam, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Ramna division.
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However, he denied allegations of baton charges against the protesters.
Earlier in the day, the teachers had started their demonstration outside the National Press Club, demanding the nationalisation of 5,000 schools in line with recommendations made by a consultation committee of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.
Around a thousand teachers joined the demonstration under the banner of the 'Bangladesh Non-Government Primary School Teachers' Unity Council', according to bdnews24.
The teachers said that in January 2013, the then Awami League government had announced the nationalisation of all non-government primary schools across the country. At the time, 26,193 schools were nationalised, but some were excluded.
On 2 February this year, the Chief Advisor's Office sent a letter to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education instructing it to take necessary measures on the matter.
Teachers alleged that although the ministry's consultation committee recommended nationalising the excluded schools, there has been no progress since.
