Police used batons and sound grenades on Sunday to disperse job aspirants registered under the 17th batch of the Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) as they attempted to march toward the Secretariat in Dhaka, demanding a special recruitment notification.
The clash broke out around 1:15pm in front of the Jatiya Press Club when the demonstrators tried to breach a police barricade.
The demonstrators had passed the 2020 NTRCA teacher registration exam, but the results were delayed until December 2023. Now, they are demanding a special circular-aligned with an Appellate Division directive-that would allow them to apply under the sixth mass recruitment notice.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Deputy Commissioner (Ramna Division), Masud Alam, said, "The Secretariat is a high-security area where rallies are not permitted. When protesters tried to force their way through, we had to act to restore order."
Organised under the banner of the 17th Teacher Registration Forum, the protesters claimed they had been staging peaceful demonstrations for weeks. "Instead of listening to us, police attacked with stun grenades and baton charges," said one demonstrator, adding that at least 20 to 25 of their fellows were injured.
