Dozens Injured as Police, BNP Clash in Dhaka

At least dozens of people were injured as the police and the activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party locked in clashes at Kakrail and Culvert Road near Nightingale crossing in Dhaka Saturday afternoon.

A total of 20 policemen and five other people received treatment at Islami Bank Central Hospital at Kakrail until 2:00pm, the hospital’s administrative officer told the media. The clash at Kakrail occurred at about 12:45pm, about one and a half hours after the activists of the ruling Awami League and the BNP locked in a clash in the area. A number of vehicles were vandalised at the time.

The clashes occurred only about an hour before the scheduled rally of the main opposition party at capital’s Naya Paltan, not far from Kakrail. Witnesses said that the police arrived in the area after the AL-BNP clash for minutes after 11:30am and the clash with police occurred in the area when police tried to disperse the BNP activists from the place.

They said that the BNP leaders and activists threw brick bats on the police who, on retaliation, opened fire from shot guns and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the BNP activists from the area. Police also used sound grenades and water canon during the clash to disperse the opposition activists.

Sounds of exploding crude bombs could be heard during the clashes, they said. Agitating opposition activists set fire to two cars at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in the area. They also set fire to banners and woods on the adjacent road during the clashes. Several contingents of Border Guard Bangladesh members were deployed in the area at about 2:00pm when the BNP activists left the area. 

The clash was continuing till about 2:45pm.