BNP-police clash leaves 200 injured in N’ganj, Habiganj
10 policemen including sadar police station officer-in-charge were also injured in Habiganj clash
Over 200 leaders and activists of the BNP sustained injuries following clashes with the police in Narayanganj and Habiganj during the party's road marches on Saturday, the party leaders claimed.
The party organised road marches across the country, demanding the release of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
In Habiganj, at least 150 people, including several cops, were injured as the activists of the BNP and police locked into a clash in Shaestanagar area of the town on Saturday afternoon, according to UNB.
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Ajay Dev, officer-in-charge (OC) of Habiganj police station and general secretary of Habiganj municipal unit BNP Awal were among the injured.
During a chase and counter-chase, agitated BNP men threw bricks at the police.
Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to take the situation under control.
Several cops including Habiganj OC Ajay Dev were injured during the clash, said Badiuzzaman, OC (Investigation).
"We are still at the scene to avoid any untoward situation, " he added.
In Narayanganj's Kanchpur area, the district BNP's road march was met with police baton charges and the firing of rubber bullets, according to eyewitnesses and BNP leaders,
The leaders and activists from the district BNP and its allied organisations assembled in the eastern vicinity of the Kanchpur bridge situated along the Dhaka-Chattogram highway for the road march. When the police issued a directive for them to vacate the highway, a verbal altercation ensued between the two parties, BNP leaders said.
Subsequently, at one point, the BNP activists disbanded as a response to the police baton charge. Afterwards, the police resorted to tear gas and rubber bullet deployment, prompting the BNP men to retaliate by throwing bricks, they added.
Muhammad Ghiyasuddin, president of Narayanganj district BNP, said the use of tear gas canisters by police resulted in injuries to BNP's deputy secretary of international affairs Nazrul Islam Azad along with over 50 other leaders and activists.
Chailau Marma, additional superintendent of police and official spokesperson for Narayanganj district police, said, "No prior authorisation was granted by the police for the road march. The BNP leaders and activists obstructed the highway, leading to significant disruptions in traffic flow."
