The police on Friday charged baton on protesters who brought out a procession protesting at erection of sculptures, and ‘harassment’ of Hefazat-e-Islam leader Mamunul Haque and Islami Andolan Bangladesh leader Syed Faizul Karim.
They also picked up at least two protesters from the spot while one sustained injuries while fleeing from the procession.
The protesters brought out a procession from the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after the Juma prayers.
The police action came two days after Dhaka Metropolitan Police in a statement on Wednesday had asked all not to hold any rally or bring out procession without prior permission from the DMP authorities and warned legal actions against violators.
Several hundred mosque-goers, mostly madrassah students, gathered in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at about 1:45pm.
When law enforcers asked them to leave the mosque, the agitators started chanting slogans against erection of sculpture, the government and ‘harassment’ of Mamunul and Faizul.
At one stage, several hundred mosque-goers at about 2:00pm stormed out of the mosque breaking police barricade who took position at a gate.
As the procession crossed Purana Paltan intersection and advanced towards Nightingale Crossing, law enforcers chased them and began charging baton to disperse them.
The agitators regrouped at an adjacent alley and began to throw brickbats at the police and fled within minutes in the face of police action.
Police personnel with riot gears were also deployed at Paltan intersection, Nightingale Crossing and Dainik Bangla crossing.
Mamunul, a joint-secretary general of Hefazat, and Islami Andolan Bangladesh nayeb-e-amir Syed Faizul Karim have been opposing the government plan to erect sculptures of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
