Over 500 students accused in police case over Science Lab clash

Police have filed a case against some 500-600 students of Dhaka College and Dhanmondi Ideal College for their alleged involvement in a clash at the Science Lab on Sunday (5 March).

New Market police station's Sub-Inspector Hossain Mohammad Arafat filed the case on Monday midnight accusing the students from both colleges who are yet to be identified.

The case statement, however, does not mention any details regarding the students' assault on journalists during the clash.

Jamuna Television senior reporter Monirul Islam told The Business Standard that some aggrieved Dhaka College students attacked them, vandalised their camera, assaulted cameraperson Al Amion in presence of police just when the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner left the scene of the clash.

"We were beaten up and our equipment were damaged in front of the police but they did not mention anything about that in the case statement," he exhaled.

When asked why police did not mention the attack on journalists in the case, New Market zone Assistant Commissioner Sharif Md Faruquzzaman declined to make any comment.

In the case, police mentioned that students of both colleges got enraged over some issue, but could not immediately identify how the clashes ensued.

Police also mentioned they had to fire 22 rounds of teargas shells and 26 rounds of blank bullet fire to control the situation.

"As the brawl ensued over possibly a trivial matter, some Dhaka college students were heading towards Ideal college premises but they were obstructed at Science Lab intersection. They later vandalised the Science Lab police box. The students attacked the police with bamboo sticks and bricks. They caused around Tk1 lakh worth of damage on government property," the case statement reads.

Police also claimed students threw brick chips which injured at least six policemen.