At least 20 people were injured in a clash between police and students protesting killing during the recent Quota Reform Movement in
Sylhet district on Friday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 4:00 PM in the Akhalia area near Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), where police arrested seven individuals on the spot.
According to the police, the students formed a blockade in the Akhalia area on the Sylhet-Sunamganj regional highway. The police repeatedly requested them to leave. At one point, the agitating students threw bricks at the police. Police fired sound grenades, tear gas shells, and shotguns to bring the situation under control.
Clashes were ongoing at the time of this report, around 6:30 PM, turning a nearly two-kilometer area into a battleground. Many non-students were also actively joining the protest.
Sstudents said as part of their pre-announced programm, they tried to take position in front of the main SUST around 3:30 pm.
Later, when the students gathered in front of Mount Edora Hospital in the Akhalia area to hold a peaceful protest, the police dispersed them by firing sound grenades, tear gas shells, and shotguns.
Azbahar Ali Sheikh, Sylhet Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner, told the Daily Observer that when the agitating students blocked the road. Police asked them to leave. However, they threw bricks at the police.
After that, police fired sound grenades, tear gas shells, and shotguns to bring the situation under control. Police arrested seven people in this incident. However, their names were not immediately known.
MA/MB
