Scores of people, including students, journalists, and police, were injured, and dozens were detained as the ongoing student protest seeking justice for the recent killings intensified further on Wednesday across the country.

Thousands of student protesters were joined by teachers, lawyers, and cultural activists in massive demonstrations held in major cities, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Barishal, and Khulna.

According to available information collected by New Age correspondents from police and demonstrators in Dhaka and other parts of the country, at least 100 people were injured in clashes and skirmishes between police and demonstrators in several places.

Police picked up dozens of protesters as students marched towards district and metropolitan courts as part of their ‘March for Justice’ programme, announced on Tuesday.

Hundreds of students demonstrated in front of the High Court in Dhaka for at least three hours as they demanded justice for killings and the release of six organisers of the quota reform platform, Student Movement Against Discrimination.

Teachers joined the students of different public and private universities in the protests in front of the High Court.

A group of lawyers held a programme inside the court premises before they broke open the police and the Border Guard Bangladesh barricades to join the protestors in front of the High Court.

Police detained nine protesters near the High Court area but were forced to release them as protesters blocked police vehicles for about an hour.

Dhaka University public administration department lecturer Shehreen Amin Bhuiyan was among those injured during a scuffle between police and protesters in front of Bangladesh Shishu Academy at about 12:30pm, witnesses said.

Protesters condemned the police attack on their teacher.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ramna Division additional deputy commissioner Md Aktharul Islam denied any such incident, claiming to New Age that police had not used any force against the protesters.

‘She might be injured by the crowd,’ Aktharul said.

He said that they had detained some students and released them later after talking with the university administration.

Teachers from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and Dhaka University, along with their students, also brought out protest processions on the DU campus and High Court area.

Between 1:30pm and 3:00pm, some parents also came with their children to express solidarity with the protesters.

Addressing the rally, professor Lutfur Rahman of the Statistics Department said that students were now in fear of getting arrested and could not stay at messes, homes, or relatives’ houses due to block raids and interrogation on roads.

‘We want justice for the killings and the end of wholesale arrests, false cases, and raids,’ said the teacher.

While talking to reporters, the student movement platform co-coordinator, Tarek Adnan, demanded the withdrawal of curfew and the reopening of all campuses.

‘We demand justice for all killings and injuries. We also urge the government to ensure proper compensation for their families,’ he added.

Some agitators chanted slogans against prime minister Sheikh Hasina and demanded her resignation, calling her a ‘dictator’.

Speaking at a human chain and protest rally organised by the teachers of the University of Liberal Arts in front of the university’s main gate, writer and thinker Salimullah Khan demanded an apology from the government and its resignation for its recent killings.

New Age staff correspondent in Chattogram reported that police detained several students from Chattogram Court Building premises when they were protesting to press home their nine-point charter of demands on Wednesday.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of Lal Dighi Field and marched towards the court building at about 11:00am.

Lawyers from Chattogram Court also joined the students, who continued to protest around 3:00pm.

Asked about the number of arrests, Chattogram Metropolitan Police additional deputy commission Tarek Aziz refused to share any figures immediately.

In Sylhet, police fired tea shells and sound grenades at protesters who attempted to march towards the courts as part of their ‘March for Justice’ programme in the city.

The protesters gathered in front of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in the morning in line with their pre-announced programme and started a march towards the court to demonstrate against the mass killings, arrests, attacks, lawsuits, and enforced disappearances during student protests and their aftermath.

Locals said that when they reached Subid Bazar around 1:00pm, police intercepted them, but the protesters broke the barrier to continue their march, prompting police to fire tear shells and sound grenades in a bid to disperse them, reported New Age staff correspondent in Sylhet.

In Khulna, at least 30 people, mostly students, were injured as a clash broke out between police and protesters in the Sadar upazila of the district on Wednesday afternoon.

The clash began at 2:15pm in the city’s Satrasta crossing.

Students alleged that police interrogated and arrested at least 40 individuals, but police did not want to comment on the matter immediately.

Hundreds of students started a procession around 1:30pm from the city’s Nirala Mor and marched towards Royal Mor.

Ignoring police barricades at Moyla Pota crossing, the students staged a sit-in protest on the street in front of the Bangladesh Medical Association building at Satrasta crossing.

When police attempted to disperse them, a chase and counter-chase between the two groups ensued.

Police later charged batons at the protesters to disperse them.

Tajul Islam, deputy commissioner (South) of Khulna metropolitan police, could not give any figures or arrests immediately.

In Barishal, at least 50 people, including journalists, were injured in a police attack during the general students’ agitation in the city.

Police detained at least 12 agitators from the area.

The incident happened from 11:00am to 1:30pm in the Sadar Road and Fazlul Haque Avenue areas of the city.

Manisha Chakraborty, the Barishal district coordinator of Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, told reporters that the student’s programme was going peacefully when police came there and attacked them, leaving at least 50, including female students, injured badly.

Among the injured, 15 were hospitalised.

Barishal Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner SM Tanvir Arafat told reporters that a group of members of the student wings of opposition political parties had blocked the road in the court area.

‘They tried to attack the police, threw bricks, and vandalised cars. Later, we removed them. We have arrested several people. Currently, the situation is under our control,’ he said.

During the clash, at least five journalists, who went to take pictures of the incident, were injured in the police attack.

New Age staff correspondent in Rajshahi reported that police on Wednesday detained at least 24 students from various areas in Rajshahi city while they were preparing for their ‘March for Justice’ programme.

The chief information officer and additional deputy commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, Jamirul Islam, confirmed the matter.

Both the pro-Awami League and pro-Bangladesh Nationalist teachers’ associations of Rajshahi University staged separate demonstrations on the university campus demanding justice for the killing of students during the quota reform movement.

The Student Movement Against Discrimination, a platform for quota reform protests, announced the ‘Remembering Our Heroes’ programme for Thursday.

The programme includes a commemorative event for those killed and injured, drawing graffiti, making festoons and digital portraits depicting the torture incidents during movement, and sharing any write-ups on victims using hashtags like #JulyMassacre and #RememberingOurHeroes on online platforms.

Rifat Rashid, one of the co-coordinators of the platform, made the announcement through a press release on Wednesday.