DU students, BIRDEM staff clash leaves 10 hurt

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US Ambassador in Bangladesh Dan W Mozena speaking after visiting Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Detective Branch headquarters in the city Sunday. — Focus Bangla Photo

FE Report
At least ten students of Dhaka University were injured during a clash between them and BIRDEM security guards at the city's Shahbagh intersection Saturday over a trifle matter, police and campus sources said.
Traffic movement through Shahbagh intersection came to a halt for nearly three hours due to the incident.
Ramna police said the collision occurred at around 2:30pm after a DU student, who went to the hospital to take treatment, was denied a ride to a lift of the hospital.
Some security guards of BIRDEM engaged in an altercation with the DU student when he wanted to use an elevator designated for the hospital staffs to avail the medicare facility avoiding outdoor queue of patients.
At one stage, one of the guards deployed at the lift allegedly slapped the student, fuelling the incident, campus sources said.
"The BIRDEM staffs did not let the DU student to use the lift as it is designated for the hospital staffs, which triggered an altercation," said an officer of Ramna police.
After the altercation the student went to the campus and came back along with more students, he said.
Over 30 guards including staffs of the hospital swooped on the agitating students with iron rod when they tried to damage the glasses of the emergency unit of Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital, forcing them to retreat.
As the news spread, several hundred DU students joined them, blocking the road and vandalising the glasses of the hospital's emergency unit as the main entrance of the Birdem Hospital was padlocked sensing an untoward incident.
The road block at one of the busiest points in the city led the traffic movements halted for nearly three hours, leaving many cars and buses stranded on the roads.
Police interfered in and managed to disperse the agitating students with the help of DU officials, BIRDEM director general Zia Uddin and deputy commissioner of police Krishna Pada Roy, bringing the situation under control.
Meanwhile, the authorities of the cardiac hospital formed an inquiry committee to investigate the incident.