115 HURT IN BANGLADESH STUDENT RALLY
Rubber bullets, tear gas allegedly fired at protesters who brought capital to standstill
MORE than 100 people were injured in Bangladesh yesterday after police fired rubber bullets at student protesters, a doctor and witnesses said, a major escalation in a stand-off between the government and demonstrators.
For the last week, students have brought parts of the capital here to a standstill with a protest against poor road safety after two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus.
Yesterday, the protests took a violent turn in the Jigatala neighbourhood here. Witnesses said police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators, and that alleged pro-government activists attacked youngsters, including some of those rushing to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Police denied they fired rubber bullets or tear gas.
“It’s not true. Nothing happened at Jigatola,” said police spokesman Masudur Rahman.
However, hospital staff said dozens of people had been injured, some seriously.
“We have treated more than 115 injured students so far since the afternoon,” said emergency ward doctor Abdus Shabbir, adding that some had injuries consistent with rubber bullets.
“A few of them were in very bad condition,” he said.
A protester said students were holding protests peacefully on the road when they were attacked.