Students, police scuffle in Ctg as graffiti painting attempt defies ban

Students trying to paint July Uprising graffiti at Chattogram's Tiger Pass have had a run-in with police amid a ban on rallies and gatherings imposed after tension over the removal of the artworks, reports bdnews24.com.

On Monday at around 12:45 pm, a group of "students" gathered at Tiger Pass intersection in the port city to draw graffiti.

Police made announcements over loudspeakers asking them to disperse, but they held their ground.

The students then told police they would go in groups of three rather than gather in large numbers to paint the graffiti.

When they moved in with paint and brushes around 02:00 pm, police blocked them.

A scuffle broke out, during which paint from a bucket splashed onto several police officers and students.

Police then detained three people and put them in a van. Fellow students protested, and by around 2:30pm all detainees had been released.

The students subsequently left the scene, though additional police remain deployed in the area.

The students said they had agreed to go in groups of three as police had asked, but were still blocked and detained without justification. Chattogram Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (North) Amirul Islam told the news agency that 50 to 60 people had gathered near the Tiger Pass in defiance of Section 30 of the Metropolitan Ordinance.