Police have detained three persons from near East West University after dispersing a gathering of students.
The trio was picked up from in front of the university, our correspondent Niaz Mahmud reported from the spot. He said police immediately took the men to their vehicle and did not allow the reporters to take pictures of the detainees.
Their identities have not been confirmed yet, but they appear to be students of the university.
Police were lobbing teargas shells on the street in front of the university again around 1:10pm on Monday to prevent the students from getting out.
"At least three to four teargas canisters fell on our campus,” an East West University student told the Dhaka Tribune over phone. “The situation is chaotic.”
Several other students also gave similar accounts.
Images on the social media showed students running for cover as a teargas canister fell inside the campus.
Police earlier fired teargas and blank shots to disperse the students, who were trying to gather in front of their campus.
The students retreated after police used teargas and fired blank shots | Dhaka Tribune
Photos from the scene show police taking position near the university around noon as a large number of students, some of them brandishing sticks, gather in front of the campus.
A group of men carrying sticks is seen following police as the law enforcers advanced towards the campus. Other photos showed unidentified men hurling chunks of bricks at the university as smoke from teargas canisters cover the area.
Police had earlier prevented the students from coming out of the campus on Monday morning. Minutes later, a group of stick-wielding men attacked the students who had gathered behind their campus gate in Dhaka’s Aftabnagar.
Videos posted on Facebook show scores of students, carrying sticks and metal rods, walking in front of the university around noon.
An image on the social media shows students running for cover as a teargas canister fell inside the campus The students went back after police used teargas and fired blank shots.
Rapid Action Battalion personnel joined police at the scene. Our correspondent said a number of locals and transport workers also gathered there carrying sticks.
Around 3:20pm, the situation escalated again as a large group tried to enter the university, and police dispersed them with tear gas and a baton charge.
Around 4:30pm, EWU Trustee Board Chairman Dr Mohammed Farashuddin led the students out of the campus.
