Police in Dhaka on Wednesday (August 27) halted a protest march by students of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), who had broken through barricades at Shahbagh en route to the office of the Chief Adviser at Jamuna. 

In an attempt to disperse the demonstrators, law enforcement deployed tear gas shells and sound grenades, resulting in clashes and injuries on both sides.

The confrontation unfolded around 1:45 pm in front of Hotel InterContinental, where BUET students had earlier staged a blockade demanding a government notification by 1:00 pm fulfilling their three-point charter. Failing that, they announced a "March to the Secretariat" programme.

According to the witnesses, as students broke through police barricades and advanced toward Jamuna, police responded with sound grenades and tear gas. The protestors briefly retreated but regrouped and attempted to resume their march. Police again used force, prompting students to occupy the road in defiance.

They also said scuffles between students and police. Several protestors and law enforcement officers sustained injuries during the altercation.

The BUET students’ demands include: prohibiting the use of the title "engineer" by diploma engineers, preventing the promotion of diploma engineers to ninth-grade posts, and ensuring that only graduate engineers are eligible for entry into 10th-grade government jobs.

The protest is part of a broader movement by engineering students and professionals, who argue that recent policies undermine the professional standing and career prospects of graduate engineers.

SMS