20 injured as police disperse MATS students' protest march

Dhaka, 9 Feb -- Around 20 students from the Medical Assistant Training School (MATS) were injured when police dispersed their protest march from Shahbagh to the Secretariat on Sunday.

Of them, 14 injured students were brought to the Dhaka Medical College and hospital around 5:10pm for treatment, said Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police camp.

They are Meherab (18), Zahidul Hasan Kayes (26), Dr. Ersadul Haque (30), Tahmina Akhter Toma (20), Russell (22), Sumaiya Khatun (20), Saima Islam Synthia (22), Sohag (22), Aman Ullah (21), Sihab Ahmed (20), KM Arafat Reza (24), Zahidul Hasan (21), Naim (22), and Raihan Gazi (21).

"All of them are receiving treatment in the emergency department," he added.

Earlier in the morning, students of Medical Assistant Training Schools (MATS) blocked Shahbagh intersection in the capital to press home their various demands.

The students under the banner of General MATS Students’ Unity Council took position at the busy intersection around 11:30am, disrupting traffic in Shahbagh and the surrounding areas, demanding the resumption of the recruitment process for vacant positions in the Directorate General of Health Services which has been halted for over 12 years.

They threatened to continue the demonstration until their demands are met.