Traffic has begun moving in Dhaka’s New Market some 30 hours after skirmishes between Dhaka College students and local store owners and workers blocked the road. Store owners and workers are now waiting for ‘permission’ to open their stores as police take up positions in the area.
Traffic began moving in the New Market, Nilkhet and Dhaka College areas on Wednesday morning. The road from Science Laboratory to New Market had turned into a battleground after clashes started around midnight on Monday, reports bdnews24.com.
Police personnel in armoured vehicles have been deployed in front of the Chandrima Market and the Nur Mansion Shopping Complex to prevent further violence. Students did not gather in front of the Dhaka College gates this morning.
The roads saw more traffic as the day wore on. Store workers were in the area but were still waiting for permission before lifting their shutters.
“Traffic has been moving since this morning,” said traffic policeman Jahangir, who was on duty at the Nilkhet intersection. “I don’t know what is to come.”
Store owners say they will decide on reopening after discussing the matter with the home minister.
“Bangladesh Store Owners Association President Helal Uddin and I spoke to the home minister last night,” said Shaheen Ahmed, president of the New Market Store Owners Association. “We told him that we have taken a significant hit in Eid business, but what’s done is done and we want to open our stores from Wednesday.”
“[The home minister] told us the education minister was discussing the issue with all parties. Many students and store workers are involved. They need to consider all sides to ensure there is no further violence.”
Shaheen said stores would open once they had permission.
“We will contact the home minister again at noon. We will open if he permits us to do so.”
Asked about the issue, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said:
“I asked them to wait until noon. Students from the [seven Dhaka University affiliate colleges] have allegedly said they will bring Dhaka to a halt. Nurul Haque Nur is supporting them. Eden College students may also take to the streets.”
“To avoid any confusion, I asked them to wait until noon before they open.”
Asked whether he believed the situation was peaceful enough to open stores, he said:
“So far, things are peaceful. If it stays like this, we will keep an eye on things and allow them to open.”
Despite the uncertainty on reopening, workers at New Market’s Noor Mansion are on standby and are preparing to raise the collapsible gate, said Md Bashir, a security guard.
Late on Monday night, a group of Dhaka College students became involved in a feud between two competing stores near New Market’s Gate No. 4, leading to a clash. The violence continued into Tuesday and resulted in injuries to about 50 people, including journalists covering the event, and the death of a worker for a courier service.
Traders and police initially claimed that an argument between store workers and Dhaka College students sparked the confrontation, but CCTV footage from the scene told a different story.
Shaheen Ahmed said the video revealed the violence began due to a feud between two stores. However, he also claimed that store owners and workers were not involved in the clashes that occurred throughout Tuesday.
“The people who broke the steel barriers in the middle of the road wore helmets,” he said. “They are clearly outsiders.”
Questions have also been raised about the slow police response to the clashes.
“It indeed took too long,” said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan when asked. “But we were trying to minimise casualties and bring the situation under control, which is why it took so much time.”