Tear shells on CU anti-quota protesters injure 50

Chase and counter chase between the students of Cumilla University staging demonstrations demanding the abolition of quota in government jobs and the police took place on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway on Thursday (July 11) noon when the students tried to enforce their countrywide blockade programme.

During this time, the police fired several rounds of tear shells at the protesters. At least 50 students and journalists were injured.

On Thursday (July 11) afternoon, when the students of the university came out to block the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, the clash took place near the university's Ansar camp.

When the police and DB members tried to prevent the students from blocking the highway, about 700-800 students of the residence halls and mess came and joined the agitators and broke open the police barricade. At that time, the students also threw brickbats and stones at the police.

The protesting students said that in the afternoon, when the students wanted to move towards Kotbari of Cumilla on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, they were blocked by the police.

Around 3:30pm in the Ansar camp area adjacent to the university, a chase and counter chase happened between the students and the police when they wanted to break the police barricade and move forward. At that time the police fired several rounds of blank bullets and tear shells, injuring at least 10 students and journalists, said the students.

Some of the injured students were sent to the hospital by ambulance.

District Additional (Crime) Police Super Khandaker Ashfaquzzaman was at the scene. He said, “We were trying to calm the students, but they attacked us.”