New Market to be reopened after observing current situation: Home Minister

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said New Market will be reopened after observing the situation which appears to be under control for now.

The home minister made the remark in response to a question from reporters on Wednesday (20 April).

"I told the traders to wait till noon today until the agitation comes to a halt," he said.

"Students of seven colleges have threatened to make Dhaka immovable. Student leader Nurul Haq Nur also joined them. Eden college students are willing to spread out on the streets."

The conflict between shopkeepers, students and police yesterday (19 April) left at least one person dead and more than 50 injured.

It all began in the form of an argument after some Dhaka College students reportedly refused to pay bills at a restaurant on Monday night, according to New Market traders. The argument quickly took a violent turn and exploded around midnight.

However, a police source citing CCTV footage said the conflict began after employees of two fast-food shops in New Market got into an altercation where the Dhaka College students joined later.

At one point the argument turned violent and reports of students being injured spread in the area, resulting in Dhaka College students coming out on the road.

The clash

On Monday, the clashes continued for two and a half hours until the police intervened around 2:30am.

However, the fight resumed the next morning and continued sporadically throughout the day, injuring dozens including students, shopkeepers, pedestrians, hawkers, and journalists. At one point, an ambulance was vandalised as well.

The students alleged that the police targeted them rather than trying to bring the clash to a halt.

Nearly two hours after the clashes resumed yesterday, the police intervened and fired tear shells at the students. The shopkeepers were seen throwing brickbats toward the students while standing right next to the police officers. The students, at this point, backtracked for a while only to come back later.

The students allegedly set fire to a portion of the Noorjahan Market.

In the meantime, Dhaka College authorities announced that the institution will remain closed till 5 May. They also asked students to leave their residential hall.

However, the students refused to accept the authorities' decision and declared they will continue the fight.

On their behalf, Ismail Samrat, the main coordinator of the 7-college-movement, announced a protest in Nilkhet at 11am on Wednesday.

The shopkeepers have demanded compensation for the damages done to their businesses during the clash.

Helal Uddin, president of the Bangladesh Shop Owners' Association, said the damages could be worth hundreds of crores of taka due to the closure of the markets before Eid.

Meanwhile, most of the injured have been treated at nearby hospitals.

"Since Tuesday morning, at least 50 people have been treated at DMCH," Bachchu Mia said, adding that most suffered light injuries and were released after giving primary treatment.

However, four people, including two businessmen were seriously injured and remain admitted. The two traders have been admitted to the ICU unit of the hospital, Bacchu Mia said. In addition, a Dhaka College student who also suffered a serious injury is being treated at the ICU unit of a private hospital in the city.