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Students storm BD Secretariat gate amid fierce protests
A clash broke out between police-secretariat staff and students when a group of students forcefully entered the Secretariat premises on Tuesday afternoon at one stage of their intense demonstrations to press home their several demands.
Police fired teargas shells and charged batons to disperse them, witnesses said.
Several vehicles were also vandalised near the Secretariat, one of the Key Point Installations (KPI) areas in the capital.
The protests began around 2:15pm at Gate No. 1, where students gathered and started chanting slogans, including ‘Fake, fake!’, “Why did my brother die? The administration must answer!” and “Action, action, direct action!”
Sources said some of the demonstrators were students who failed this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations and are demanding a reevaluation of their results.
Others joined from the capital’s Uttara Diabari area, protesting Monday’s crash of an Air Force aircraft into Milestone School and College, which left 31 dead and at least 165 injured.
Meanwhile, another group of students rallied from the Dhaka Education Board office and marched towards the Secretariat, also demanding revaluation for SSC exam failures.
Law enforcement agencies, including police and army personnel, deployed in and around the Secretariat to maintain public order.
Due to the gate closures, vehicles inside the compound are unable to exit, resulting in severe traffic congestion and growing concern among officials and staff, reports UNB.