TDS Desk:

Six army personnel were injured, with one in serious condition, during the protests by Ansar members for nationalisation of their jobs at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate.

ISPR in a press release said on Monday that Army personnel were deployed to maintain law and order and reinforce security measures at the Secretariat’s various critical locations and all gates to ensure comprehensive security.

During the day, approximately 10,000 Ansar members gathered and surrounded the Bangladesh Secretariat, keeping detained seven advisers of the interim government along with other senior officials, it added.

The director general of Ansar arrived at the Secretariat on Sunday afternoon and agreed to all the demands of the protesting Ansar members.

“Despite this, the agitated Ansar members did not leave the area and held the DG hostage. Some Ansar members also attempted to break into the Secretariat through gate No 3. During this incident, the agitated Ansar members attacked students present at the site and assaulted patrolling army personnel with bricks, stones and sticks. Despite repeated engagements with the Ansar members with patience, the situation escalated when the army personnel fired 27 warning shots into the air as the Ansar members did not retreat.”

ISPR said that later, additional army forces were deployed to the Bangladesh Secretariat area to disperse the Ansar members and bring the situation under control.

Then, with the help of the army, the seven advisers, the DG of Ansar, senior law enforcement officers, and all officials safely left the Secretariat area.

The deployed army personnel controlled the Ansar members who had infiltrated and later sought refuge and turned them over to the police.