100 hurt as Islamist activists clash with police Shotgun snatched from havildar

More than 100 people, including journalists, policemen and pedestrians, were injured as Islamist party activists on Friday clashed with the lawmen, turning Paltan in Dhaka into a battlefield for more than three hours.
The Islamists snatched away a loaded shotgun from a police havildar at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram during the clashes.
Witnesses said the clash began when several hundred activists under the banner of the Committee against Anti-Qur’anic Laws tried to bring out a procession immediately after the juma prayers against the National Women Development Policy.
Islami Ain Hefajat Committee led by Fazlul Haque Amini, Chhatra Jamiat Bangladesh led by Maulana Mohiuddin Khan and Ahkame Shariah Hefajat Committee led by former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Delwar Hossain Saidee and publicity secretary of the organisation Taslim Ahmed teamed up under the banner.
As the police tried to stop the activists from bringing out the procession, they started clashing with the lawmen, by throwing stones at them from the north gate of the national mosque.
The lawmen charged at the activists with truncheons, and fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse them, resulting in the clashes, which took place in the Dainik Bangla and Paltan crossings and the north and south gates of Baitul Mukarram and the alleys in the area.
The activists divided into several groups took shelter in a lane by the GPO and kept throwing stones. Another group and the police continued chasing each other at the north gate of the mosque.
The Islamist activists at one point set fire to some old clothes and carpets after collecting them from shops and controlled the stretch between the crossings of Dainik Bangla and Paltan. A group at the south gate attacked havildar Riyad and snatched away his shotgun, which was loaded.
The police started clubbing the activists and firing rubber bullets and teargas shells after the deployment of the law enforcers had been reinforced.
More than 10 journalists of print and electronic media, 40 policemen and 60 activists and pedestrians were injured in the clashes.
The police deployment was again reinforced and the lawmen used a water canon at about 3:00pm to control the situation. Most of the Islamist activists took refuge inside the mosque. But the lawmen could arrest two of the seriously injured.
Traffic through the roads in the Paltan areas remained suspended till 5:00pm.
A high police official told New Age, ‘The police fired 312 teargas shells and 243 rubber bullets to tackle the situation.’
‘The police arrested 10 activists at the protests and 52 policemen of different ranks were injured in the clash,’ he said.
Motijheel zone police deputy commissioner Mazharul Islam told newsmen, ‘The police managed to recover the shotgun which the activists snatched from a havildar.’
The injured were admitted to Markajul Islam Hospital, Dhaka Orthopaedics Hospital and Dhaka Medical College Hospital and the injured policemen taken to Rajarbagh Police Line Hospital.
The duty officer at the Paltan police station said, ‘We are preparing to file cases against the Islamist activists.’
Islami Ain Hefajat Committee, meanwhile, demanded resignation of the women affair adviser, Rasheda K Chowdhury, for formulating rules running counter to the Qur’an in the name of the Women Development Policy.
The government must withdraw the sections in the police which are against the Qur’an, said Amini at a briefing at the office of the monthly Madina in Noakhali Tower. ‘We will, otherwise, continue holding protests.’
Amini, who is also charman of Islami Oikya Jote, said the police had attacked them without any provocation.
He claimed more than 100 activists of the organisation had been injured in the clashes. ‘We were holding a rally to drum up support for our demand. But the government is not fulfilling our demand.’
Amini threatened the government by saying that the ‘fire that was started on Friday will spread to every corner of the country.’