Police have detained two individuals in connection with an attack on students and protesters from ethnic minority groups in front of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) office in the capital’s Motijheel area.
The detainees were Md Abbas and Arif Al Kabir, Motijheel police station Sub-Inspector Tuhin Shikder confirmed on Thursday morning.
He said as of 9am, no case had been filed over the attack. The detainees had not yet been formally arrested, the police officer said, adding that they were currently being interrogated under police custody.
A decision regarding their status would be made after senior officials arrived at the station, Tuhin said.
Earlier, Mahfuj Alam, an advisor in the interim government, said on Facebook two individuals had already been detained in connection with the attack, adding that others involved would also be apprehended.
“A thorough investigation into the events will be conducted. No form of terror or extortion on the streets will be tolerated.”
The incident occurred earlier on Wednesday afternoon in front of the NCTB office.
Reportedly, there was a clash over disputes concerning images of graffiti that contained the word “Adivasi” on the back cover of the ninth- and tenth-grade Bangla second-paper textbook.
Both groups staged demonstrations around the NCTB premises, which eventually led to a confrontation after the law enforcement’s human barricade was breached.
Several individuals were injured during the skirmish.
According to witnesses, a group of protesters under the banner of “Aggrieved Indigenous Students and People” began their demonstration at the base of the Raju Memorial Sculpture on the Dhaka University campus.
They later marched toward the NCTB office in Motijheel to lay siege to the building.
However, upon arrival, they were allegedly attacked by individuals aligned with the “Students for Sovereignty” banner.
It left several, including women, injured, who were later admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.
