Police yesterday charged batons, used water cannons and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse a group of nurses who were demonstrating at the capital's Shahbagh intersection in demand of seniority-based appointment of nurses under the Public Service Commission.
At least 22 people were injured in the incident and among them, nine were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Police also detained seven nurses – four male and three female – from the spot.
The incident unfolded when the unemployed nurses created a blockade at the intersection around 10am, halting vehicular movement in the area for several hours which led to massive tailbacks.
The nurses, coming from two associations, took to the street a day after the PSC invited applications for 3,616 senior staff nurse posts to be recruited through examinations.
The protesters claimed that an earlier government announcement stated that it would appoint 10,000 nurses based on seniority under the PSC.
When asked, President of Bangladesh Basic Graduate Students Nurses Association Rajib Kumar Biswas said: “We want nurses to be recruited through performance evaluation and seniority.”
Another nurse, who was unemployed, told the Dhaka Tribune that it would be difficult for them to pass if an examination based recruiting system was used as they have been out of studies for long.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner (crimes) Krishnapada Roy said that he went to the scene around 12:45pm and requested the nurses to clear the road. In reply, the agitators refused to move and said they would continue their protests until their demand is met, he said adding that police then charged batons and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse them.
President of Bangladesh Diploma Bekar (unemployed) Nurses' Association Rina Akhter told the Dhaka Tribune that: "We were peacefully demonstrating when suddenly police started to spray hot water and lob sound grenades to disperse us.” She also claimed that the female nurses at the demonstration were harassed by the policemen.
When asked about Rina Akhter's claim, Ramna zone Deputy Commissioner Abdul Baten denied the allegation and said it was the nurses who first started attacking the uniformed policemen.
The DC said: “They blocked a very busy road and were not moving despite our repeated requests. We had no choice but to use force.”
Vehicular movement later resumed around 2pm after the police dispersed the agitating nurses.