C T Online Desk: Over 100 Ansar members trapped at the Secretariat after clashes with students in its vicinity have been taken to Shahbagh police station in prison vans.
After a 10-hour siege of the Secretariat on Sunday, Ansar members clashed with students of the Students Against Discrimination movement.
The Ansar members dispersed after being chased by the students. While most of them fled, more than 100 were trapped.
Some Ansar members surrendered at midnight, with a few even removing their uniforms and apologizing. In the presence of army personnel, police officers recorded their names before placing them in prison vans.
Officials said legal action would be taken according to the next course of decisions.
What happened
Ansar members joined started protests demanding the nationalization of their jobs in the morning, gathering in front of the National Press Club.
Around noon, they began protesting at five entrance to the Secretariat. The protest continued into the night after a day of dramatic developments.
Clashes occurred between students and Ansar members near the Secretariat in the capital, leaving around 40 people from both sides injured.
The clashes took place after 9pm, with both sides engaging in a series of chases.
At around 10pm, army troops and police arrived at the scene, attempting to bring the situation under control. Despite their presence, clashes between students and Ansar members continued, with several rounds of gunfire reportedly heard, causing widespread panic. Police also deployed sound grenades to disperse the crowd.
Shortly thereafter, most of the Ansar members exited through Zero Point, though some remained trapped inside the Secretariat premises. The area around the Secretariat then came under the control of thousands of students. Some students were also seen helping Ansar members safely exit the area.
Army personnel were stationed at the Secretariat gate, while the students continued to chant slogans, vowing to resist any conspiracy.
Dhaka University student Atik Hossain said the Ansar members’ initial demands had been met, but now they were complicating the situation with an unreasonable demand. He added that there might be a conspiracy behind their actions, especially given the ongoing crisis in the country.
At about 10:30pm, advisers Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud emerged from the Secretariat, urging the agitated students to remain calm. They assured the students that action would be taken against the Ansar members who had attacked them.
Officials and employees from various ministries and departments were finally freed when gate No 3 of the Secretariat was opened following the dispersal of the protesting Ansar members. Government officials, including advisers in the interim government, began exiting the premises shortly afterwards.
Earlier, students from various dorms of Dhaka University started gathering at the Raju Memorial Sculpture to march to the Secretariat to confront Ansar members, whom they were calling “agents of autocracy.”
The development came after reports emerged that a group of Ansar members were keeping Nahid Islam, an adviser in the interim government and a coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination movement, along with coordinators Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah and others detained at the Secretariat.
Hasnat Abdullah in a Facebook post blamed former director general of Ansar, Maj Gen AKM Aminul Haque, for a continued blockade of the Secretariat, even after the demands of protesting Ansar members were met.
Hasnat also urged everyone to gather in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University.
AKM Aminul Haque is the elder brother of former deputy minister of water resources AKM Enamul Haque Shamim.
“Everyone, come to Raju. The autocratic forces are trying to make a comeback through the Ansar force. Even after their demands were met, we were kept locked in the Secretariat.”
In the comments section of his post, he added: “All of this is being orchestrated by Enamul Haque Shamim, the former MP from Shariatpur. His elder brother was the DG of Ansar, and these Ansar members were recruited by his brother.”
Ansar members called off their protest earlier in the day after receiving assurances from the interim government’s adviser for home affairs, Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. The Ansar members had been protesting for two days, demanding the nationalization of their jobs.
At around 3pm, the adviser announced that the demands of the Ansar members would be met, prompting Nasir Mia, the coordinator of the movement, to call off the protest.
