At least one person was killed and over 100 others, including students, were injured in fierce clashes between the members of law enforcement agencies, Awami League activists and protesters across the country on Saturday.
Many places turned into battlefields when the protesters took to the streets, demanding justice for the killing of their fellows and the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
One person was killed and several others were injured when protesters and police were locked in a deadly clash at Sripur in Gazipur district.
The deceased was identified as Zahangir Alam, 45, hailing from Satkhira district. He was a local factory worker.
Locals said that the agitating students took position on the highway about 11:00am at Mawna roundabout while AL activists took position under the flyover.
Police fired rubbers bullets and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the students while the protesters vandalised three police boxes and set two of its vehicles on fire.
The protesters set Noakhali Awami League office on fire and blocked roads and highways in different districts to press home their demand.
At least seven students sustained bullet wounds during a clash in Cumilla. The clash erupted while they were trying to stage demonstrations on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.
Juba League, the youth wing of the ruling Awami League and Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the party, allegedly swopped on the protesters, triggering the clash.
Witnesses said at least 26 students were injured in the attack. Of them, seven sustained bullet wounds.
The bullet-hit students were identified as Arfan Majumder, 16, Sourav, 25, Maruf, 16, Asif, 11, Mridul, 12, Srijan, 13, and Sunny, 18. Of them, Sourav was sent to Dhaka for better treatment.A rumour was doing the rounds that one student was killed during the clash. But it was not confirmed immediately. The protesters also set the vehicle of Chandina Upazila assistant commissioner (Land) on fire.
In Faridpur, at least eight protesters were injured in clashes between police and protesters.
The clash took place in front of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Hospital in Bhanga Raster Mor area.
Witnesses said the clash erupted when the leaders and activists of the associate bodies of the Awami League attacked a procession with sticks and bricks.
Protesters also retaliated with brick chips. People from nearby houses and shops also joined the protesters.
Police lobbed teargas shells and used sound grenade to disperse the demonstrators.
Several thousand people blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway for one and a half hours, protesting the recent attacks on the protesters.
Meanwhile, several hundred students from Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University held demonstrations in front of the university campus, demanding the reopening of the halls of rsidence.
The agitating students later broke open the university gate and took control of the campus.
Amid the countrywide demonstration, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon the agitating students to sit with her at her official Ganabhaban residence to end the ongoing crisis created over the quota movement.
“The door of Ganabhaban is open. I want to sit with the agitating students and listen to them. I do not want any conflict,” she said.
The premier also asked the authorities concerned to release all the general students arrested for their alleged involvement in the recent violence.
Sheikh Hasina also assured the agitating students of holding trial for each killing during the anti-quota movement.
Turning down the proposal, one of the coordinators Abu Baker Majumder said, “Now, there is no chance of sitting with her. The decision will come from the streets.”
A deadly clash took place between the police and students in Sylhet. Police fired rubber bullets, lobbed teargas shells and used sound grenade to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, AL activists were on guard at different points to resist the protesters.
Sporadic clashes between police and protesters took place in Bogra, leaving dozens injured.
Locals said police opened fire, lobbed teargas shells and used sound grenade to disperse the protesters at different points, including Sathmatha and Circuit House Point.Several students were critically injured during the clashes.
Meanwhile, on July 18, a journalist named Hasan Mehedi, who worked for a news portal called Dhaka Times, was killed by police gunfire. He was shot while covering the news in the Jatrabari area of Dhaka. On the same day, Shakil Hossain, a reporter for the daily newspaper Bhorer Awaj, was killed. Also on that day, another journalist, Abu Taher Muhammad Turab, the Sylhet correspondent for Daily Naya Diganta, lost his life to police bullets.
On August 2, a freelance video journalist named Tahir Zaman Prio was shot, and two days later, on August 5, Pradip Kumar Bhowmik, a journalist for Daily Khabarpatra in Sirajganj, lost his life. All of the deceased journalists were killed by police gunfire.
Jibon Ahmed, a photojournalist for the national daily Manab Zamin, told Voice of America that he was injured by bullets fired at protestors while he was taking pictures in the Rampura area of the capital in July. Anwar Hossain, a senior journalist for the Bangladesh Post, and photojournalist Zahiduddin Ahmed were also injured while covering the news in the same area.
Authorities from the newspaper Dainik Amader Shomoy reported that nine of their journalists were injured while covering the violence during the quota movement. Three photojournalists from the Daily Prothom Alo were also injured.
Two journalists from the online news outlet Barta24, Staff Reporter Khandaker Asifuzzaman and Raju Ahmed, were injured.
Sukanta Biswas, a Staff Reporter (Multimedia) for Risingbd, was seriously injured. Staff Reporter Nazmun Nahar of Sangbad Parikrama was also injured.
Three journalists from Banglanews24 were injured: Senior Photo-Correspondent GM Mujibur Rahman, Staff Photo-Correspondent Shakil Ahmed, and Staff Correspondent Iffat Sharif.
