Situation in Secretariat, Education Secretary withdrawn in face of student protests

The interim government has withdrawn Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Siddique Zubair, in the face of violent student protests. Mahfuz Alam, Advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, confirmed this information in a post on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, students from various colleges in Dhaka gathered in front of the Secretariat from noon and started the protest. At 3:40 pm, they suddenly broke through Gate No. 1 of the Secretariat and entered inside. After that, several government vehicles parked there were vandalized.

Eyewitnesses said that the students participated in the program mainly because they were angry at the sudden change in the HSC exam schedule around 3 am. At one point in the protest, the students dispersed when the police started baton charging.

An aggrieved student told 'More News',
"Yesterday, many students of Milestone College died in a tragic plane crash. But even in this situation, the exams were not postponed. A sudden decision was taken at 3 am, which we came to know about in the morning. This irresponsibility cannot be accepted. We want the resignation of the education advisor and secretary."

Security has been tightened in the secretariat area immediately after the incident. Police, army and other law enforcement personnel have been deployed. The situation is still tense.

According to government sources, the education secretary has been withdrawn to quell the students' anger and bring the situation under control. However, no official announcement has been made yet about who will take charge as the new secretary.