Police constable killed, 41 others injured
Hospital, ambulance, vehicles torched, smashed
Journos hurt
In the name of peaceful rally the activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and their allies turned to furious violence as they attacked members of the law enforcing agencies in several parts of the city.
Defying prior conditions to maintain discipline during Saturday’s rally in city’s Paltan areas, the alleged BNP armed cadres and their allies took to the streets violently attacking the heavily guarded security men waiting in their riot-gear.
They tossed home-made bombs while pelting pieces of bricks and stones at the on-looking security men. As the intensity of the violence increased police baton charged also firing teargases at the unruly gangsters who set fire to several parked vehicles, including ambulance and fire brigade vehicle.
The gruesome attacks by some of the mob did not even spare the on-duty policemen. One police constable, son of a freedom fighter, was hacked to death when the mob caught him when he got detached from his fellow constables.
The violence continued throughout the afternoon as the mob pushed through the police barbed-wire barricades at several points. As they marched they left burning tyres on the streets, some of which appeared like a ghostly neighbouhood.
The mayhem left more than one 150 severely injured, including members of the law enforcers and several journalists when BNP caders clashed with police in parts of city.
BNP-Jamaat men also vandalized several vehicles, set fire on hospital and judge’s residences during the act of terrorism in the name of political rallies.
Of the injured, 20 cops have received treatment at the Rajarbagh Police Hospital, while the rest were taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital ( DMCH).
Earlier, the DMP media cell confirmed that a police constable died of his injuries which he sustained from the clashes in Fakirarpool area.
The deceased was identified as Aminul Parvez, a constable of DMP's CTTC unit. He hailed from Daulatpur upazila in Manikganj. His blood-stained body was lying on the street near Dainik Bangla crossing.
Police took him to the emergency department of DMCH in critical condition.
Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police outpost, said that the doctors at DMCH emergency declared him dead at around 4:15pm after he was brought to the hospital with several wounds in the head.
BNP cadres also set fire to a bus, a pickup truck and several rooms of the BRTC bus depot in Kamalapur. Firefighters reached the spot at around 4:50pm and doused the fire.
At least seven journalists were allegedly beaten up by BNP cadres during Saturday's clashes around the Kakrail area in the capital.
The injured journalists were identified as Rafsan Jani, a Daily Kalbela reporter; Md Masum, a photographer of Daily Inqilab and Tanvir Ahammed, a multimedia journalist of the Daily Ittefaq. They have been treated at the DMCH.
Rafsan came under attack when he was recording action of an assault on a cop by BNP men at Kakrail's Nightingale intersection, he told reporters after taking treatment at DMCH.
The protesters allegedly snatched Rafsan's phone and beat him with iron rods and sticks. At one stage he fell to the ground, but the protesters didn't stop assaulting him.
At one point Rafsanjani, who repeatedly told the protesters that he was a journalist on duty, ran to a twelve-storey tower in the area where other journalists were also present. He was rescued by some of the hiding journalists. The two other journalists were assaulted by the protesters around the Kakrail area.
The leaders and activists started rallying around the city streets viurtually crippling the city while traffic movements literally was non-existence with very thin presence of vehicles on the streets.
BNP’s extreme rightwing ally Jamaat-e-Islami earlier announced a separate rally defying a police ban but their supporters tried to rally at the designated spot called Shapla Chattar in Motijheel but police dispersed them using batons.
The Additional Commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) Harun-or-Rashid said that some BNP activists attacked police in front of the Judges' Residence Complex in Dhaka’s Kakrail.
“Some policemen were injured. Furthermore, they carried out an attack, vandalized and set some vehicles on fire in front of IDB Bhaban at Kakrail,” he said, while talking with reporters in front of Kakrail Church.
Meanwhile, BGB members were deployed at Kakrail Church crossing. He claimed that police has video footage of the incidents of the attack.
“We will identify those involved in the attacks and take appropriate action,” he said.
The BNP activists who were engaged in violence escaped the scene, and the situation is now under control, he added.
Witnesses said leaders and activists of BNP brought out a procession in the Kakrail area and started going towards the InterContinental hotel at around 1pm.
At one stage BNP leaders and activists started throwing brick chips at the law enforcers triggering clashes.
Later, police fired rubber bullets, used sound grenades and tear gas shells to disperse them. BGB has been deployed in the capital to control the heated situation centered around BNP and Awami League rallies.
BGB Public Relations Officer Shariful Islam told that 10 platoon of BGB forces were deployed after the police, BNP men clashed in Kakrail.
BGB members have started patrolling the area after the clash with BNP activists around the chief justice's residence in Kakrail.
Witnesses said BNP activists set fire to a number of police boxes at Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh areas. Unruly BNP workers set fire to front side of central police hospital at Rajarbagh area, pelted stones at the Chief Justice’s residence in Kakrail and damaged several vehicles.
Law enforcement personnel responded with tear gas canisters while BGB personnel were at the scenes to join hands with police.
At least 130 people, who were injured during Saturday's rallies in the capital, have received treatment at the DMCH while 33 others have been admitted, said DMCH Director Brig Gen Nazmul Haque.
"One other patient was brought in critical condition. Though out of danger now, his health conditions can change any time. He has been kept under observation. The situation will be known after 24 hours," he told reporters.
The DMCH director also said a policeman named Jahid and an Ansar official were brought to the hospital a little earlier.
Meanwhile, leaders of Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB), DRU, BFUJ expressed deep concern over the attacks on journalists in Dhaka city.