Protesters stage demo at Ctg court premises

Several hundred students yesterday staged a demonstration as part of their “March for Justice” programme at the premises of Chattogram court.
The protesters gathered in the court’s Doel Chhatar area around 11:30am and stayed there for three and a half hours. They chanted slogans in favour of their nine-point demand.
However, the programme ended around 3:15pm peacefully and no disruption occurred during the court proceedings, our staff correspondent reports.
The offices of Chattogram Divisional Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Chattogram Judicial Magistrate Court, different tribunals and courts are situated in the court building premises.
Centring the march programme, additional police personnel, and members of Armed Police Battalion (APBn), and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed to fend off any untoward incidents.
Around 10:30am when students took position at the main entrance of the court building, nearly 30 pro BNP-Jamaat lawyers joined their demonstration. Police intercepted the students as they tried to entre the building and at one stage the protesters managed to get in.
At that time, a section of lawyers was seen to provide foods, snacks and water to the demonstrating students.
A team of 20 to 30 pro Awami League lawyers led by Public Prosecutor Iftekhar Saimul appeared to the scene around 12:15pm and asked the BNP-Jamaat backed lawyers to take the students out of the court premises.
The protesters wanted to move towards the DC office but the lawyers stopped them. Witnesses said that senior lawyers managed to calm the situation and the protesters left the area around 3:15pm, said public prosecutor Iftekhar Saimul.
Abdul Warish, additional commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said the demonstrators left the area after police arranged safe exit for them.
In Thakurgaon, police put barricade when several hundred protesters from different educational institutions gathered at ‘Oporajeyo 71’ sculpture in Thakurgaon municipality area around 11:30am.
However, no one was detained from the spot, our local correspondent reports.
In Jashore, police detained six protesters when they were staging demonstration at noon today.
Before detention, police personnel charged batons on the protesters in front the office of the superintendent of police, our Benapole correspondent reports.
Additional Superintendent of Police Jewel Imran said six students were taken into custody for questioning.