At least 20 people were injured, and 16 were arrested after a clash between Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists and police in Chattogram city’s Nur Ahmad Road area Monday afternoon.
The police claimed that at least five of their members were injured in the clash while BNP leaders claimed that at least 10 leaders and activists were injured in ‘police attack’ during the prescheduled countrywide protest of the political party against ‘killing people on Independence Day’.
The police arrested 16 BNP leaders and activists including the party’s Chattogram city unit convener Shahadat Hossain from Kazirdewri and Panchlaish areas in the port city.
Fourteen of them were arrested at Kazirdewri while two others in Panchlaish area, said SM Mehedi Hasan, deputy commissioner (south) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.
Six of the arrested are Chattogram city unit BNP convener Shahadat Hossain, his personal secretary Maruful Hoque, Panchlaish BNP vice president Mohammad Ali, city unit Mohila Dal president Monowara Begum Moni, Mohila Dal leaders Akhi Sultana and Dewan Mahfuza Lita, according to BNP sources and police officials.
SM Mehedi Hasan told New Age that Shahadat Hossain was arrested from the port city’s Panchlaish area in a case of extortion filed by BNP leader Lucy Khan with Chawkbazar police station on Monday at around noon.
As Shahadat was involved with the attack on police at Nur Ahmad Road area, we will show him arrested in the case on charge of attacking police and setting fire on road. The case is under processing with Kotwali police station’, the police officer said.
Earlier, the BNP activists also set fire to several vans and rickshaws in front of Nasiman Bhaban that houses Chattogram BNP office.
The clash started as police obstructed BNP leaders and activists to hold a demonstration in the area at about 3:30pm, Md Idris Ali, former office secretary of Chattogram city unit of BNP, told New Age.
Idris Ali said that BNP leaders and activists had been going to Nasiman Bhaban to hold a demonstration, declared by central BNP but police obstructed them on Nur Ahmed Road where BNP activists engaged in a chase and counter chase with police.
At least ten of their activists were injured in ‘police attack’, he claimed.
Police detained few BNP leaders and activists from the spot, Idris Ali claimed.
But the police said that they tried to persuade BNP leaders and activists not to hold meeting on the road and directed to hold meeting in front of BNP office premises at Nasiman Bhaban, said Md Nezam Uddin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station.
At one stage, BNP activists scuffled with police, prompting the law enforcers to go for action on them, he said.
The OC said that the BNP activists threw brick bats targeting police while law enforcers charged baton and fired rubber bullets to disperse them.
Five police member were injured in the clash, the OC added.
But the name of the injured could not be known.
