375 Ansar members taken to court over clashes at Secretariat gates

A total of 375 Ansar members were taken to a Dhaka court today after being arrested in the cases filed over last night's clashes between demonstrators and students in front of the Secretariat gates in Dhaka.

"Till 3:30pm, 375 Ansar members were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka in the cases filed with Shahbagh, Ramna, Airport and Paltan police stations. They have been kept inside the court lockup," a police official working in the court told The Daily Star.

"The number of arrestees is likely to increase," he said.

Yesterday, despite the government's assurance of fulfilling their demands, Ansar members continued demonstration by blocking the Secretariat gates and clashed with students and people. At least 50 people were injured.

The clash broke out around 9:20pm as students and other people tried to drive away the demonstrators demanding nationalisation of their jobs, said witnesses.

The situation turned violent after over a thousand students and others, many of them equipped with sticks, went to the Secretariat, hearing that Ansar members blocked the Secretariat even after getting assurance of fulfilling their demand, said witnesses.