One man was killed and over 50 others, including four journalists, were injured as BNP activists and police clashed in the capital’s Nayapaltan yesterday afternoon.
The violence further inflames the tense situation over BNP’s scheduled December 10 rally in the capital.
Police fired teargas shells and baton-charged the crowd during the near 30-minute clash after which the Nayapaltan area resembled a battlefield. Top BNP leaders were among over 300 people police picked up as they stormed the party’s main office in Nayapaltan, officers said.
The BNP will demonstrate across the country today in protest of the “police attack”, the party said in a statement.
The BNP and Dhaka Metropolitan Police have been in talks for the last few days over the venue for the December 10 rally. The opposition party first wanted to organise the event in Nayapaltan, but the DMP gave permission for Suhrawardy Udyan. The BNP then proposed Mazar Road in front of Ideal School and College, but police denied that too.
Many believe that the sudden turn of events has put BNP’s December 10 rally into uncertainty as many senior leaders are either in detention and/or in hiding.
Police identified the man who died as Mokbul Hossain, 30, but could not say whether he was a member of any political party.
Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of the police outpost at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said that the man died at the hospital and there were pellet injuries in his body.
According to a BNP press release, Mokbul was a joint convener of Pallabi Ward 5 unit of Swechchhasebak Dal.
Mostafizur Rahman Rumi, publicity secretary of Jagannath University Chhatra Dal, said, “The man was lying in a pool of blood in front of the party office. He had pellet injuries. We took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he died around 3:40pm.”
Witnesses said the clash erupted at 3:00pm when crowds of BNP leaders and activists thronged the Nayapaltan area chanting slogans and blocking one side of the VIP Road. The clash was triggered as police tried to clear the road.
The law enforcers fired teargas shells and shotguns while the activists hurled brick chips.
Hayatul Islam Khan, deputy commissioner of DMP Motijheel, said, “We requested them to clear the street, but they did not listen. When the police wanted to disperse them, they attacked.”
BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, “It is a planned attack on the BNP leaders and activists. Police attacked at the order of top government officials.”
After the clash, a police team entered the party office and came out within a few minutes. The BNP men were setting fire to tyres on the road at the time.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir arrived at that point and police didn’t allow him to enter the office. An officer reportedly told him that there were explosives inside the building.
Fakhrul later told reporters that the clash was a conspiracy to foil the scheduled rally on December 10.
“This incident happened to foil the rally. This is a conspiracy,” he said and demanded the authorities withdraw the policemen deployed in Nayapaltan and allow the BNP to hold the rally peacefully.
On the other hand, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader told a rally in Cox’s Bazar that BNP activists attacked police in Nayapaltan.
The BNP men are trying to take positions at their party office three days before their rally, he added.
Around 5:00pm, a group of people wearing helmets and holding sticks marched in Nayapaltan and chanted anti-BNP slogans amid the presence of a large number of policemen.
Police later picked up BNP leaders Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie, Amanullah Aman and Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas from near the BNP office.
Hours later, DMP Commissioner Khandaker Golam Faruk at a press conference said policemen entered the BNP office on information that crude bombs were stored there.
The BNP activists attacked police without provocation and injured several police members, he said.
“The BNP can hold rallies in any open field. But they will not be allowed to hold a rally on the roads,” he said, adding that, “We will ensure full security if they agree to hold their rally in Suhrawardy Udyan.”
Briefing reporters in front of the BNP office, DMP Joint Commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarkar said, “We arrested many criminals as well as those who instigated the violence.
“We were here to deal with the overall situation with great patience. We were repeatedly provoked. When we are attacked, when people’s lives are threatened, when common people are attacked, we are forced to launch operations. They threw bombs at the police from the first floor of their office.
“Many bombs were kept here for sabotage. We recovered them. We believe that this attack was carried out to damage property, kill and attack law enforcers.”
In response to BNP Secretary General Fakhrul’s allegation that police brought the bombs in bags, he said the operation was conducted in front of everyone. “We recovered bombs and sticks in front of everyone. They were inside when we were bombed in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, transport associations in Barishal, Khulna, Sylhet, Dinajpur told this newspaper that they were telling the travellers that bus services between Dhaka and those districts may get suspended today and tomorrow.
Shibli Biswas, executive president of Khulna Motor Bus Owners Association, said, “Bus operation may come to a halt following the clash. But we have not made any such decision yet.”
Transport associations enforced strikes ahead of most of the recent BNP rallies.