After a seven-hour blockade at Shahbagh, police baton-charged protesting diploma nursing students. Following the incident, the students decided to withdraw their protest.
At 9pm on Wednesday, police confronted the students who had been blocking Shahbagh. The situation quickly escalated, and the protesters decided to end their demonstration.
Speaking with the protesters, it was revealed that they had been peacefully protesting at Shahbagh for an extended period. Their hope was to achieve their demands and return home.
But at 9pm, police suddenly began baton-charging, injuring several students. Some of the injured were taken to the Bangladesh Medical University for treatment. Their identities were not immediately available.
One of the protesting students, Billal Hossain, told Bangla Tribune: “We were protesting peacefully. There was no violence or provocation. Our demands are not unreasonable, so why did the police assault us?”
He added: “We’ve temporarily withdrawn our protest. Two representatives from the NCP have come here and promised to support us. If we don’t receive any response from the government, we will return to the streets.”
Earlier in the morning, diploma nursing students from various parts of the country gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar. They set a one-hour deadline for the government to issue a gazette recognizing the equivalence of a diploma in nursing to a degree.
After no assurance was given, they began the blockade at Shahbagh. Following the police baton charge after seven hours of protest, the students withdrew, and normal traffic resumed in the area.