A 28-year-old man was killed and dozens were injured as the police opened fire at activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party locked in a clash in front of BNP central office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon.
The single name of the deceased could be known as Mokbul, Dhaka Medical College Hospital Police Outpost in-charge Bachchu Mia said.
The clash occurred ahead of the opposition’s December 10 Dhaka mass rally while the government and the opposition party were in a row over the venue of the rally. The Awami League and the police is insisting the BNP to use Suhrawardy Udyan to hold the rally while the main opposition party is insisting to hold the rally in front of the party central office at Naya Paltan.
Witnesses said that the clash occurred when the police tried to drive away the BNP leaders and activists from near their party central office at about 2:30pm.
They said that the party leaders and activists began to gather in front of the party office since morning and the gathering became large at about noon.
At about 2:30pm, police personnel suddenly tried to drive out BNP activists from the spot and lobbed tear gas shells on the opposition activists.
The police also opened rubber bullets on the opposition activists who also retaliated by chasing the police personnel with sticks, witnesses said.
They said that the opposition activists also threw brick bats targeting the police personnel.
A leader of the BNP said that a number of their activists and on-duty journalists were injured in ‘police attack’ on their activists.
The leaders, however, could not give the exact number and identities of the injured ones.
Since morning, a good number of police personnel were deployed around the BNP central office and at around noon, additional police forces were deployed in the area, witnesses said.
Besides, they said, armour vehicle, water cannon and prison vans were seen near the BNP central office during the clashes.
DMCH police outpost in-charge Bachchu Mia said that a total of 20 people, including Mokbul, were brought to DMCH from Naya Paltan and Mokbul, having bullet injury marks in the back, was declared dead after arrival.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Matijheel division deputy commissioner Hayatul Islam Khan said that the BNP activists attacked them without any provocation when the police requested them to leave the road in front of their party office.
He said that the BNP activists kept the BNP office adjacent road occupied though the police were yet to give permission of holding their December 10 Dhaka rally in front of their office.
