Police in Jessore on Wednesday used batons against students participating in a protest organized by the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement. Several students have been reported detained.
The confrontation occurred around noon in front of the Jessore Police Superintendent`s (SP) office, where police charged the protesters with batons. The students had planned a "March for Justice" as part of their day`s agenda.
Earlier, around 11:00 am, students attempted to gather in front of the Press Club on Mujib Road but were obstructed by extensive police searches at every street corner, which prevented them from assembling.
By 11:15 am, police had detained five students, including Ibrahim Khalil, in front of the Jessore Press Club, though some were later released. In a separate incident, police detained seven people, including several young men from Barobazar in Kaliganj upazila, Jhenaidah, and students from MM College, from an auto-rickshaw in the Old Kasba-Chuadanga Stand area. It is unclear whether they were released.
Witnesses reported that around 12:00 pm, a procession from Jessore Government MM College, moving from the stadium through Shilpakala and Waapda towards Palbari, was met with police and Detective Branch (DB) officers as it passed the Jessore Municipal Building. The police used batons to beat the protesters, causing a temporary disruption before the students regrouped and continued their march towards Palbari.
Earlier, around 11:15 am, key coordinator Rashed Khan and his associates had positioned themselves at Jessore Municipal Park. Police and DB officers gathered at the park as students assembled. Police called in auto-rickshaws to remove the protesters, who greeted the officers with roses.
Student leader Rashed Khan condemned the actions, stating, "The police have detained our students and are intimidating them. Searches are being conducted at every corner of the city to prevent youth from participating. This oppression will not stop the student movement. It has only intensified, and the more arrests and abuses there are, the stronger our movement will become."
Efforts to contact Additional Police Superintendent Belal Hossain and Jessore Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdur Razzak for comments on the baton charges and arrests were unsuccessful.
