News Desk :
About 100 people were injured in a clash between the police and leaders and activists of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Habiganj district town during a rally on Wednesday afternoon.
The rally was organised to press home the party’s demand to allow the party chief Khaleda Zia to go abroad for advanced treatment in an advanced medical centre.
Police opened tear shells at the BNP leaders and activists during the clash as the party activists vandalised and torched a police vehicle, said locals.
Habiganj additional superintendent of police Mahfuza Akter Shimul said that they detained eight or nine BNP activists from the spot.
BNP’s central committee cooperatives affairs secretary GK Gaus said that at least 80 leaders and activists of BNP were injured in the clash.
He said that they were holding the rally in front of party office at Sayestanagar of Habiganj town while police attacked them without any provocations. Mahfiza claimed that the BNP activists attacked them without any provocations soon after BNP central leaders joined the rally.
They attacked on police leaving 12 cops injured, she claimed and added that the activists also vandalised a vehicle used for policemen’s transportation.
Police opened tear shells and birdshots to contain the situation, said the police officer.
UNB adds: BNP leaders and activists locked into a clash with police over holding a rally in the district town on Wednesday, leaving an unspecified number of people, including four law enforcers, injured.
One of the injured, Shah Rajib Ahmed Ringan, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) district unit organising secretary, was sent to Dhaka in a critical condition.
Witnesses said police prevented BNP leaders and activists from setting up a stage for their scheduled rally and blocked the road in front of the house of central BNP leader GK Gaus in Shaistanagar area of the city since morning.
As the leaders and activists of the party and associate bodies gathered in the district town and tried to go to the rally venue, police obstructed them, triggering a clash.
The BNP activists threw brick chips towards police forcing them to charge batons, lobbed teargas shells and fired several rounds of bullets, to bring the situation under control.
At one stage, police were forced to retreat for some time in the face of strong resistance by a huge number of BNP leaders and activists.
Later, a huge number of law enforcers took position around the rally venue and chased the BNP flowers.
Amid a chase and counter-chase, senior BNP leaders, including standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, chairperson’s adviser Zainul Abedin Farroque and organizing secretary Skahwat Hossain Jibon addressed the rally.
Talking to UNB, BNP leader GK Gaus said police attacked their peaceful rally in a bid to foil it. “We condemn such an undemocratic and heinous attitude of the law enforcers.”
He said a good number of their leaders and activists were injured in the attack.
Officer-in-charge of Habiganj Model Police Station Masuk Ali said they arrested seven BNP activists from the spot.
He said four police personnel were injured in the attack and received treatment at Habiganj Sadar Hospital.
