A Dhaka court has ordered four individuals to be sent to jail in connection with charges of vandalism, causing damage to government property and attempted murder by voluntarily inflicting injuries during an incident at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
On Wednesday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jamshed Alam issued the order after the accused were produced before the court.
The accused are Ashiqur Rahman Tanvir, Jeffrey Abhishek Sikder, Abu Sufian and Shakil Mia.
Sub-Inspector Mahmudul Hasan of Shahbagh Police Station, also the investigation officer in the case, submitted a petition seeking to keep the accused in jail. Meanwhile, the defence lawyers filed bail petitions on their behalf. After the hearing, the court rejected the bail pleas and ordered their detention.
The case was filed late Tuesday at Shahbagh police station by Golam Mukti Mahmud, sub-inspector of the Secretariat Security Division, accusing 1,200 unidentified individuals.
According to the case statement, on Tuesday, a large group of students—estimated to be between 1,000 and 1,200—reportedly comprising college students from Dhaka along with self-interested miscreants, staged a protest under the banner “March to the Ministry of Education.”
The protest was triggered by the recent tragic incident at Milestone School and College and the demonstrators made several demands, including the postponement of the HSC examination.
Initially, the students marched toward the Education Board and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.
Later, they gathered in front of the Secretariat.
As the demonstration intensified, for safety reasons, all gates of the Bangladesh Secretariat were closed.
The case further says that the demonstrators were repeatedly requested not to enter the Secretariat premises.
However, they unlawfully broke police barricades, instigated unrest in front of the main gate and eventually forced their way inside.
When security forces attempted to prevent their entry, the demonstrators allegedly attacked members of the police, army and ansar personnel with sticks, bricks and stones, with the intent to kill.
Several officers sustained serious injuries during the clash.
The complaint also mentions that government vehicles were vandalized, public property was damaged and the demonstrators issued threats and created an atmosphere of fear.