Cops batoncharge MATS students, as they try to besiege Secretariat

Police baton-charged the students of Medical Assistant Training School (MATS) in front of the Education Building in the city on Sunday, as they made an attempt to lay siege to the secretariat to press home their four-point demand, including filling vacant posts.

Md Faruk, who is in charge of the DMCH Police Camp (Inspector), said that 11 injured students were brought to the casualty department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the evening. Later nine more students were reportedly taken to the hospital.

Earlier around 11:00 am, several hundred students gathered in Shahbag and staged a demonstration, bringing traffic from TSC to Shahbag to a halt. Around 2:00 pm, the personal assistant of the health adviser arrived at Shahbag and talked to the protesters. Later, a five-member delegation of the General MATS Students' Unity Council held a meeting with the health adviser at the Secretariat.

In the meantime, students began to march towards the Secretariat, leading to a clash between the two sides. The demonstrating students said that despite the three-month suspension of academic and administrative activities, their demands fell on deaf ears, prompting them to take to the streets.

The four-point demand are: immediate appointment in the vacant posts in the 10th grade, employment and creation of new posts at the government and private level, revision of the course curriculum changing the name of the institution to a medical institute, cancellation of the proposed 'Allied-Health Professional Board' and formation of an independent 'Medical Education Board of Bangladesh' board, and keeping provision for higher education opportunities in clinical subjects recognised by BMDC.

Last month, MATS students protested in front of Karwan Bazar and the National Museum to push for their demands. There are 16 government and 51 private assistant training schools in the country. After completing a three-year course from these training schools, students receive a diploma in medical faculty degree. They get the opportunity to work as health assistants in various government and private institutions.

Meanwhile, a violent clash erupted between students of City College and Ideal College in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon, turning the Science Lab area into a virtual battleground and bringing traffic to a standstill.

The conflict began around 4:30 pm, with students from both institutions engaging in chase and counter-chase. The exact cause of the conflict, however, could not be known immediately.

Ideal College students alleged that three of their classmates were stabbed by City College students during the incident. The injured, all of whom are 11th graded, were whisked off to Labaid Hospital, according to the media reports. Additional police forces from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) were deployed to calm the situation.

DMP Ramna Division Additional Deputy Commissioner Jisanul Haque said: "Both groups have dispersed, and we are now investigating into the cause of the clash."

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