Situation somewhat normal in Natun Bazar-Shahjadpur, but fear persists
Arifur Rahman, an employee of a private IT company living in the capital’s Natun Bazar, says he never saw anything like the scenes that unfolded in the neighborhood when the quota reform protests took a violent turn.
“On Thursday (18 July), there were no vehicles in the Natun Bazar area. The area was paralysed due to the students’ protests,” Arifur told TBS.
“The situation started to change from Friday morning. When I went out for breakfast around 10-10:30am, I saw hundreds of people blocking the road from Natun Bazar to Shahjadpur and shouting various slogans.
“Soon after, the police started firing. People started throwing bricks and stones. Then I went back home.”
Arifur continued, “I went out again during Jummah prayers. The gunfire was still going on. After a while, I saw people running in and out of the lanes carrying the injured. People were taking them to the hospital.
“At night, police entered the lanes and fired indiscriminately. None was people on the streets at that time. We were all very scared.”
He added, “On Saturday, the same thing happened in this area. The situation was worst on these two days. I often saw the police firing into the lanes without any reason. I heard that many people were shot.
“I have never seen such a situation before. I am still haunted by the events of those two days. I still feel scared.”
The situation has improved somewhat over the past two days due to the relaxation of the curfew. People are going to their offices, and almost all shops are open. However, fear still remains.
Abu Naim, who works in Natun Bazar, said, “I know there has been a lot of trouble in this area. People are still scared. I have been going to office for the past two days, but I return home quickly.”
A businessman from Shahjadpur Khilabari Tek told TBS, “Many people have been arrested. A neighbouring businessman’s nephew and two friends were arrested on their way home. Later, one of them was released. But they were not involved in anything.
“In this way, two or three people from the area are being arrested every day. Innocent people are suffering.”
