The interim government has adopted heavy-handed tactics to suppress the resistance by students of Milestone School and College, who are alleging that the Bangladesh Army is concealing dead bodies from Mondayโs plane crash.
The security forces beat up students at the Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon, causing injuries to at least 75 students. They were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, the government has withdrawn Siddiq Zubair, senior secretary of the Ministry of Education, after thousands of students gathered in front of the Secretariat, demanding the resignation of both the education adviser and the education secretary.
Till midnight, the army reported 22 deaths and sent an ambulance to bring out bodies from the permanent campus around 2am, but the teachers and students of the institution said the death toll was over 120, with over 165 undergoing treatments at various hospitals.
On Monday afternoon, the army personnel beat up the principal, vice-principal, teachers, and students of the school after they spoke to the press, alleging the deaths of over 120 students, teachers, and staff.
The army also locked up the residential students at the dormitory.
On Tuesday morning, when two advisers visited the school, they faced immense protests by students who were chanting slogans against them.
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Later, the government sent over 400 police members to disperse the protesters and rescue the advisers.
Videos on social media showed students, stuck at the dormitory since last night, asking for help.
Meanwhile, several hundred students took to the streets and marched towards the Secretariat to press home their six-point demands, which include publishing a transparent list of deceased, injured and missing people.
The army and the police beat the students, prompting them to break open the gate and enter the Secretariat premises. They also vandalised an ambulance and several motorcycles.
Reports say some students were shot at that time. Moreover, the police and the army charged batons and lobbed sound grenades.
After the clashes, Hasnat Abdullah, Md Sarjis Alam, and mob leader-turned-adviser Asif Mahmudโthe goondas of murder, fascist, corrupt Yunusโhave threatened the Milestone students with dire consequences.
Official death toll
According to the army, a total of 31 people were killed and 165 injured till noon on Tuesday.
Of the dead, 10 died at the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, 16 at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), 2 at Lubna General Hospital, and one each at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Uttara Modern Hospital, and United Hospital.
Of the injured, 8 are being treated at Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Hospital, 46 at the Burn Institute, 3 at Dhaka Medical, 28 at CMH, 13 at Lubna General Hospital, 60 at Uttara Adhunik Hospital, 1 at Uttara Crescent Hospital, 1 at Shaheed Mansur Ali Medical College Hospital, 2 at United Hospital, and 3 at Kurmitola General Hospital.
Attempts to conceal bodies
Engaged in the rescue operation, school teacher Shafayet Faiyaz said he protested when the TV reporters mentioned the death toll of 18-19 persons.
Faiyaz reported recovering 15-20 charred bodies from the damaged classrooms. After saying this, the army personnel present at the spot started beating him.
When the principal, vice-principal and teachers came to save him, the army personnel assaulted them too.
โAt one point, they took me to the Project-7 building and beat me again. They tried to strangle me with the scarf I was wearing,โ Faiyaz said on Facebook.
According to a source at the school, at least 120 students, teachers, and staff were killed on the spot. The school authorities wanted to announce the list, but the army personnel wanted them to keep silent.
Describing the torture of the teacher, student Tahsin Ul Haque posted on Facebook that the army is trying to play politics with dead bodies.
He said around 5:30-5:35pm, when the death toll crossed 70-80, the media was reporting only 15-20.
โAt one point, when our principal, Ziaul Alam Sir, protested this, an army officer hit him. After that, the real game started.
All the students left the hostel and gathered in front of the gymnasium. The army was also in a face-to-face position. Within a while, tension on the campus rose high as the students chanted slogans against the army. Some students started throwing shoes, stones, and sticks at the army.
โThen, on the instructions of the Principal Sir and Safayat Sir, we left the field.โ
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