Dhaka – Police used sound grenades, tear gas, and baton charges to disperse a large crowd of protesters demanding the immediate announcement of a new government pay scale in Dhaka on Friday.
The demonstration began when several thousand public servants from across the country gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar around 11 am.
They marched towards the official residence of the Chief Adviser, the head of the interim administration, but were blocked by police at the Shahbagh intersection.
After a brief scuffle, protesters broke through the initial barricade, prompting police to deploy water cannons.
Upon reaching the area in front of the Hotel Inter-Continental, the protesters staged a sit-in.
After they ignored police requests to vacate the area, security forces escalated their response, repeatedly using water cannons, sound grenades, and tear gas. The protesters retreated into nearby Ramna Park, where police pursued them, continuing to fire sound grenades and tear gas.
After nearly an hour of chase and counter-chase, the demonstrators were ultimately dispersed from the area near the residence of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. They later regrouped and blocked the key Shahbagh intersection, about a kilometer away.
Police officer Masud Alam said that several demonstrators were arrested for ignoring a pre-existing ban on processions in the area.
A protester at the scene, Shahadat Hossain, defended their actions. “The Pay Commission has reviewed everything for the last nine months and submitted its report,” he said.
“Now it’s time to publish it in an official gazette.” He expressed fear that with elections just days away, the current government’s delay could lead to further prolongation by the next administration to be formed after the election next week.
