Protesting students leave Shahbagh after DMP chief apologises, announce shutdown at engineering institutions on Thursday
Engineers’ Rights Movement General Secretary Sakibul Haque Lipu announced a “complete shutdown" of all engineering universities and concerned institutions for Thursday to press home their three-point demands.
Highlights
- Students ended their 12-hour-long sit-in after the DMP chief apologises
- Engineering institutions will be shut down on Thursday
- The DMP chief called the police action "unfortunate"
- Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the students earlier in the day
- Adviser Fouzul says they will meet with all stakeholders to find a solution
- Buet strongly condemned the police attack
Students of engineering universities ended their 12-hour-long sit-in at Shahbagh tonight (27 August) after Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali expressed regret over police baton charges and attacks on protesters earlier in the day.
Around 10pm, the commissioner appeared before protesting students and termed the police action near the InterContinental Dhaka "unfortunate," apologising for the incident.
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He also assured that an investigation committee would be formed on Thursday to take action regarding the incident.
Addressing the students, Sazzat Ali said, "I am deeply sorry for the unfortunate incident that took place in front of InterContinental Dhaka. I will form an inquiry committee tomorrow [Thursday] to investigate today's incident and take necessary action."
In addition to their three core demands, the engineering students also called for the arrest of those involved in threatening an engineer with death after holding him captive in Rangpur.
On this matter, the DMP commissioner said, "Regarding the incident in Rangpur, I spoke with the Rangpur Metropolitan Police commissioner before coming here. A case has been filed there. I've requested him to arrest the accused as quickly as possible, and he assured me that action will be taken soon."
For the entire one and a half minutes, the commissioner spoke, students continued to chant "bhua bhua" (fake, fake).
After the commissioner's departure, protesting students declared that they would not hold any further programmes that create public suffering and would continue discussions with the government regarding their demands.
They also demanded the suspension of Ramna Zone's Deputy Commissioner (DC) Masud Alam.
Meanwhile, Engineers' Rights Movement General Secretary Sakibul Haque Lipu announced a "complete shutdown" of all engineering universities and concerned institutions for Thursday to press home their three-point demands.
He told the media that further programmes would be announced at a press conference at the Institute of Engineers in the afternoon.
Protesters then left Shahbagh around 10:45pm.
Earlier in the day, police fired tear gas and sound grenades, charged batons, and used water cannons to disperse students of engineering universities as they marched towards the chief adviser's official residence, Jamuna.
Md Sabbir Ahmed, coordinator of the Engineers' Rights Movement, said some students were injured and hospitalised after police used batons and tear gas on them.
At least eight members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) were also injured during the chase and counter-chase, according to the home ministry..
In a statement, Buet strongly condemned the police attack on protesting engineering students.
Advisers' meeting with the protesters
Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan, after holding a meeting with the representatives of the protesting students, told the media that the clash between the students and the police was unwanted.
"Students have been injured. The police officer involved will apologise to them," he said.
Fouzul added, "We have heard their (the protesters) side, but there are many other stakeholders. We will listen to the university teachers, then the diploma engineers, and then the engineering institutions that hire – organisations like LGD, the Public Works Department, the Power Development Board, and the Railway. We will sit with them all and try to find a solution."
The committee will meet tomorrow to discuss the matter, he said, adding that they will later sit with other stakeholders.
The meeting began around 7:15pm at the Rail Bhaban, where 11 representatives of the students took part, according to media reports.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan was also present at the meeting.
The demands
At the centre of the movement is the call to make entry tests mandatory for all candidates seeking recruitment in the ninth grade of engineering or for positions such as assistant engineer.
Eligibility, they insist, should be restricted to those holding at least a BSc degree in engineering.
They also oppose promotions through quotas or by creating equivalent posts under different names.
Their second demand is to open recruitment examinations for the 10th grade of technical or equivalent posts, such as sub-assistant engineer, to both diploma and BSc degree holders.
The third demand seeks legal action against those using the title of "engineer" without a BSc degree in engineering.
The students also want non-accredited BSc engineering courses to be brought under accreditation by the IEB, through its Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education.
