Police use water cannon, tear gas to disperse protesters marching toward Jamuna

Police today used water cannon, tear gas, and sound grenades to disperse government employees marching towards the chief adviser’s official residence, Jamuna, demanding implementation of the ninth pay scale.

The protest began around 10:30am at Dhaka's Shahbagh, with demonstrators attempting to march towards Jamuna.

Police blocked them at several points, but as protesters tried to push past barricades, security forces fired water cannons and sound grenades.

Despite resistance, the demonstrators advanced and briefly reached near Jamuna after 11:00am, before police intensified their action to clear the area.

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Ziaur Rahman, a college teacher from Rajshahi, said the protesters had only one demand -- implementation of the ninth pay scale.

“Our demonstration will continue until this demand is met,” he told The Daily Star.

He added that police initially showed restraint, but later used hot water cannons and sound grenades against the marchers.

By 1:00pm, protesters were seen regrouping at a distance, while leaders and activists of the Inqilab Moncho positioned themselves in front of the InterContinental hotel, continuing their protest.

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Police maintained heavy deployment along the road connecting the hotel to Jamuna.

At around 1:15pm, Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam arrived at the scene, joining DMP Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali and other senior officials already present to oversee the situation.