Fifty-four students were arrested after a group of them staged demonstration inside Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday seeking revaluation of their Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination results.
Several students as well as bystanders were injured as the demonstrators clashed with the law enforcing agencies, including the police and the army.
Witnesses said the demonstration began around 3.00 pm, when the students gathered at the entrance of Secretariat's Building No. 6, which accommodated the Ministry of Education.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, they demanded reassessment of their recently published results, which they attribute as discriminatory.
One protester said they want unbiased HSC results, and they would not leave the spot until their demands were met.
"There could be misunderstandings with our protest. All of the agitating students didn't fail in the examination, rather some of us have obtained GPA five," he said adding that the mapping of the exam was faulty.
Students of some boards took part in six examinations whereas some could participate in only two, he added.
"Now the questionable results will bar many meritorious students getting admission in highly competitive medical colleges or engineering universities," he said.
Law enforcing agencies were seen baton charging to disperse the protesters. Consequently, a large portion of the demonstrators were forcibly removed from the Secretariat at around 3:30 pm.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner of Masud Alam told journalists that law enforcement detained 54 students in connection with the protest.
"The detainees were taken to police stations for interrogation, further actions would be decided after investigations were completed," he said.
Two prison vans were seen leaving the Secretariat, transporting the detained students by 4:30 pm.
This protest followed a similar event on the last Sunday, when students entered the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education building in the capital.
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