20 injured as police, madrasah students clash in the capital

Around 20 people were injured in a clash between the madrasah students and police over the naming of a playground in the Bakshibazar area of Dhaka on Wednesday.

Students from the Government Madrasah-e-Alia alleged that the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is trying to grab their playground by changing its name to Bakshibazar Central Playground. They demanded it to be named after the madrasah.

However, the DSCC authorities said only 0.51 acre of the 2-acre playground is owned by the madrasah. They renovated it at a cost of Tk53 lakh with request from the local people as there is no other playground in the area.

The playground was supposed to be officially opened for the public by the Dhaka South Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Wednesday. But the madrasah students gathered in the playground in the morning demanding the city corporation to step back from their move.

Eyewitnesses said the students started throwing chairs at the mayor while he came to inaugurate the playground. He left the area immediately after the incident.

Police tried to disperse the students with baton-charge and fired a few rounds of tear shells. Around 15 students were injured at this time, they said.

Md Zafar, deputy commissioner of Lalbagh Police Station, said, "Protesters threw chairs at the mayor. They also began throwing brickbats at police personnel. We tried to bring the situation under control."

Md Abu Naser, public relation officer of the DSCC, told The Business Standard, "About 25-30 irregular students of the madrasah and local people protested when the mayor came to inaugurate the playground. The mayor left the place immediately after the incident."

Md Abdur Rashid, acting principal of the madrasah, said, "There is a dispute between the madrasah and the prison authorities. A case is also going on in the court between them."

Omar Bin Abdul Aziz, councillor of Ward-27, said, "The DSCC renovated the playground as it is their legal duty to look after the playgrounds in the areas under them."