Ansar members clash with students in front of Secretariat

Staff Reporter :

A clash erupted between members of Bangladesh Ansar and general students on Sunday evening after Anti-discrimination Student Movement coordinator Hasnat Abdullah sent out a message claiming that he and several others were being held in front of the Secretariat.

Around 9 p.m. students began gathering in the Secretariat area in response to the message.

Earlier in the evening, Hasnat Abdullah alleged that former Ansar Director General Major General AKM Aminul Haque had instigated the blocking of the Secretariat gates, despite earlier assurances that Ansar’s demands had been met.

In a Facebook post, Hasnat called on students to gather in front of the Raju sculpture at Dhaka University.

He wrote, “Everyone, come to Raju. Autocracy is trying to return through the Ansar. All of us have been held in the Secretariat despite their demands being accepted.”

During the clash, several students were severely beaten by Ansar members. The Secretariat gate was then occupied by Ansar personnel as more students continued to gather from different directions.

Earlier in the day, Ansar members had agreed to suspend their ongoing protest and return to work following discussions with Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam.