At least 10 individuals including police were injured in fierce clashes between the banned Islamist outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir and law enforcers in the capital.
The clashes broke out immediately after the Friday Jum’a prayer around 1:30pm when the banned outfit brought out processions as part of their previously announced programme of holding a rally at Muktangon.
The banned organisation pasted posters to different walls and places of the capital and distributed leaflets to drum up support in favour of its rally at 2:30pm yesterday.
Witnesses said Hizb ut-Tahrir men took out two separate processions from the High Court mosque and Segunbagicha mosque premises and were heading towards the Muktangon through the National Press Club.
As police intercepted the processionists, they launched attacks on the law enforcers leading to a clash.
Being chased by the lawmen, Hizb ut-Tahrir activists got dispersed and launched further attacks taking positions in different lanes, roads and behind the buildings in Segunbagicha, Paltan, Bijoynagar, Baitul Mukarram National Mosque and adjacent areas that turned into battlefields.
Apart from chases and counter chases between police and the banned organisation’s cadres, the lawmen fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets while the latter hurled bombs and brick chips indiscriminately at the law enforcers.
Police detained 21 members of the banned outfit.
Of them, 12 Hizb ut-Tahrir men were detained from a building near the Dhaka Reporters Unity where they took shelter.
Asad, Hafiz, Salman, Rezowan, Shahabuddin, Mirajul Islam Mridha, Raqib, Monirul, Kabir, Sagar, Azad, Johni, Rubbel, Mahin, Khaled, Khorshed and Mukto were among the detainees.
Inspector Shahidul Islam of Shahbagh police station confirmed the detention of the 12.
He said they also seized banners, posters and leaflets of the banned outfit.
Md Ashrafuzzaman, deputy commissioner of Motijheel division, said as they remained alert and were prepared over the earlier announcement of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the outfit could not hold its programme.
Meanwhile, a huge contingent of police and Rab had been deployed surrounding the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, National Press Club and Paltan areas.
Hizb ut-Tahrir was banned on October 22 in 2009. The Islamist outfit has long been campaigning for the founding of a “Khilafat State”.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
