At least five people who had been protesting against the visit of Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, to Bangladesh were killed and 14 others injured in a fresh clash with law enforcement agencies in Brahmanbaria.
The protesters locked in the clash on Dhaka-Sylhet Highway at Nandanpur under Sadar Upazila in Brahmanbaria in the evening.
Four of the deceased are Juru Ali, 40, Badal, 28, Sujan, 22, and Kawsar, 20, said Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital emergency medical officer Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Witnesses said that hundreds of protesters began demonstration at Nandanpur in the afternoon.
At about 6:30pm, the police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel tried to disperse them while the protesters locked in a clash with them.
At one stage, locals alleged, the law enforcers opened fire to disperse them and several protesters were injured. They were sent to Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital.
‘Three with bullet injuries were brought dead to our hospital and two of the bullet injured ones died at wards of the hospital later,’ said emergency medical officer Abdullah.
He said that 14 other bullet injured ones were now undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Neither the Brahmanbaria district superintendent of police nor the Sadar police station officer-in-charge could be reached for comments after several attempts between 7:30pm and 9:15pm on Saturday.
