The New Nation - Internet Edition

DU Correspondent

Four Dhaka University students and three policemen were injured in a clash near the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital over a minor issue at noon yesterday.

Eyewitnesses said four students were arrested for accusation of attacking the three policemen they were admitted to the DMCH with severe injuries.

Later, the students were set free from police custody as their arrest and injury triggered angry student protests.

"The angry students set fire to a police van in front of Shahidullah Hall of the university and burnt chairs and benches of teashops in the area," reported source who witnessed the latest campus unrest yesterday.

People passing through the areas panicked during the one-and-a-half-hour-long chase and counter- chase.

Due to violence the healthcare services at DMCH were disrupted. The visitors to the hospital were seen moving desperately to find safe and secure shelter.

According to a Source the incident started when a DU student of Shahidullah Hall got into a dispute with a tea seller as he was refused change for Tk 100 to pay a bill of Tk 9 at about 4:15pm.

The annoyed student called some of his friends over mobile phone, who rushed to the spot and started thumping the tea vendor, police and witnesses said.

Seeing the beatings, three policemen of DMCH camp, including its in-charge, in civil dress rushed to the spot to rescue the tea-seller. At one stage of altercation, students hit the policemen too.

The injured policemen started running towards their DMCH camp, all the way pursued by the four students.

Later, policemen locked the collapsible gate of the hospital and picked up the four DU students---Hamidur Rahman, Ijaj, Mamun and Saki. The students were taken under police custody at DMCH after giving heavy beatings.

Later, students demanded immediate release of the locked up students, and hacked the camp in which police were injured.

The injured policemen were admitted to the DMCH.