New Market salesman succumbs to clash injuries
Another person injured during the clashes between the traders of New Market and Dhaka College students has died.
Md Mursalin succumbed to his injuries at around 4:40am on Thursday, Inspector Md Bacchu Mia of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police outpost confirmed to Jagoo News.
The 24-year-old store staff got injured on Tuesday, the second day of the clashes between the students and shopkeepers.
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He was then rushed to the DMCH. He was undergoing treatment at the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Police handed over Mursalin's body to his family after an autopsy later in the day.
"My brother was a salesman at a clothing shop in New Market. He used to live with his wife Mitu Akter and two children, a daughter and a son, in a rented home in Kamrangirchar.
"My brother will be laid to rest at the capital's Azimpur Graveyard after a namaz-e-janaza in Kamrangirchar," said Nur Mohammad, Mursalin's brother while spekaing with The Business Standard.
According to doctors, Mursalin bled to death due to his injuries.
"Two more injured in the clashes are receiving treatment at the DMCH. They are Md Yasin, 18, and Md Kanan Chowdhury, 20," added inspector Bacchu Mia.
Earlier on Tuesday, Nahid Hasan, 18, who used to work for a courier service company located in the Bata Signal area, died after being critically injured in the violent clashes.
The reason for the clashes was still confusing with different parties making different claims.
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 the New Market traders. The argument quickly took a violent turn and exploded around midnight.
But, 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 stopped after the police intervened around midnight.
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 bricks and stones 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 lit up a portion of the Noorjahan Market on fire.
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.
But 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 11 am 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," Bacchu Mia said, adding that most suffered light injuries and were released after giving primary treatment.
