Police vehicles burn at Bijoynagar in the capital yesterday afternoon after Jamaat men went berserk being unable to hold a rally demanding the release of its top leaders from jail. Inset, ATM Azharul. Click here for more photos...Several hundred activists of Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday fought pitched battles with police in the capital after law enforcers obstructed their rally, leaving at least 100 injured and halting traffic for hours.
During the clashes, the party men set fire to at least 28 vehicles, smashed around 200 others and vandalised dozens of roadside shops, police said.
Law enforcers arrested 80 Jamaat members including ATM Azharul Islam, its acting secretary general; Tasneem Alam, publicity secretary, and Mohammad Ijjat Ullah, central working committee member, following the violence. The trio were picked up from the party's Moghbazar office in the evening, said Masudur Rahman, additional deputy commissioner of police.
Jamaat clashed with police also in Chittagong, leaving at least five people including an assistant commissioner of police wounded and seven vehicles shattered.
At least 26 members of the party were arrested from a procession in Kushtia. In Barisal, five persons were hurt in police action to disperse the activists who gathered for a rally.
In Dhaka, it all began when police around 4:00pm barred the party men from staging a prescheduled rally at Bijaynagar. Jamaat was to hold the gathering as part of its country-wide demonstrations to demand release of its top brass who are behind bars on war crimes charges.
At first, witnesses said, Jamaat men got into a heated argument with police. Law enforcers had to step back initially as the party activists outnumbered them by several times. Reinforced, they came back with riot cars.
Running battles between the two sides continued for over an hour at Kakrail, Bijaynagar and Shantinagar. Pelted with brick chips by the activists, police lobbed at least one thousand teargas canisters, fired several rounds of rubber bullet and charged batons to control the situation.
At least 38 policemen were reported hurt in the fight. Five severely injured cops were admitted to police hospital at Rajarbagh and another to Apollo Hospitals.
Five police vehicles -- a prison van, a jeep, a pick-up truck and two motorbikes -- were among those set ablaze.
While Syed Nurul Islam, additional deputy commissioner of police (Ramna division), put the number of torched vehicles at 28, a Fire Service and Civil Defence source told The Daily Star today at 1:30am it was not more than eight.
Jamaat men also burnt tyres and other objects on roads. Activists of its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, also joined the battle, said the party sources.
Fright-gripped pedestrians were running for safer places while many took shelter in the nearby buildings and shops.
Students and guardians of Willes Little Flower School and College at Kakrail stayed inside the institute compound after the classes ended.
The college principal, Lt Col Mohammad Moinul Islam Chowdhury, said none of the children and parents was allowed to leave the compound until the situation calmed down.
Traffic remained suspended for around two hours on several routes in Naya Paltan, Kakrail, Shantinagar areas, resulting in huge congestion in other parts of the capital.
Hundreds of people on their way home from offices were toiling to get buses. The traffic situation retuned to normality around 6:30pm.
Jamaat-e-Islami in a press release claimed that across the country around 400 party members, 150 in the capital alone, were wounded in police action. More than one hundred leaders and activists of the party were detained yesterday, it said.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 10:13 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
This is nothing in comparison with AL's destructive activities. AL chief herself instruct her hooligans to carry out destructive activities. AL has no morality to say against this provocative activities.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 06:06 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Arresting them is a waste of time. Just soot in the head and get it over with once and for all.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 05:52 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Reuters is as usual along with other India based Western news agencies, reporting Bangladesh news as if it is a war zone like Pakistan. India had daily wars but Western media censor news.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 02:36 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
This is nothing but horror in Dhaka City. This is unbelievable that the five police vehicles were burned in city. Jamaat is always a terrorist political party, AL have no guards to ban their political activities. It is shame, if we consider the Jamaat must not have right to do politics in Bangladesh because their party was formed Rajakar against Muktijoddah. Still time for AL to control Jamaat otherwise there will be civil war soon; they always want to prove that the freedom was not right decision. So we must resist Jamaat, even the people of Bangladesh suppose to boycott BNP if they don't leave Jamaat.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 01:38 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
The Jamaat has failed to come out of inbuilt ideology of fanaticism, radicalization and ideology of civil disorder to express their politics of religion. They maintain the most organized and committed militants to be in the forefront to create civil disorders.
What we see today is most likely to increase when the alliance leader is going to speak with a fury speech to ignite civil disorders, hartal, long march and fasting unto death, a guess work. The basis might be economy, water sharing of Teesta, religious sentiment in the blame game of her speech.
The government need not resort to mass arrest or any thing like. Just offer a sincere proposal to talk about the existing problem in politics, economy and good governance, and a call to attend parliament to speak with bills to promote their version of good governance.
If the opposition fail to respond, the government leaders with repute should go to the people and explain why they are not able ensure good governance and to pressurize their elected representative to participate in parliament with necessary bills for reform.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 12:55 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Islam does not permit this type of violence. Every Muslim should hate Jamat-e-Islami.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 12:40 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Is that only Jamaat men run the riot and police and disguised AL supporters are sitting with clean hands? The lack of tolerance to accept others opinion and the use of police brutality to disrupt the legitimate political protest are the hallmark of AL version of democracy. This unnecessary confrontation has wasted lots of time, money and lives that we as a nation cannot afford anymore. The rule of law and the establishment of justice cannot take place roots on a fragile society where people are systematically targeted, harassed, name called, tortured and killed for different political views.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 10:15 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Let us unite against Jamaat. They are the extremists in our motherland. It is BNP that gave the shadow to Jamaat to grow dangerous. Time is not so far when Jamaat will betray with BNP.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 12:24 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
If the rally was peaceful why cops impeded that procession. Jamaat turn violent because their back now against the walls. Police should not have aggressive on that rally. Burning the property, frightened the people will only grow disdain on Jamaat and regimes. What reason AL student wing brought rally it's unintelligible for me. Something is fishy.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 10:49 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Police don't do anything when people burn tires, cars, buses, police cars in front of DSE. But they are very good at doing when its a political parties doing a peaceful march.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 10:54 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Jamaat has no right to claim them religious. They always misinterpret Islam. We should stop calling them religious party, Hypocrisy is their main characteristics.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 11:08 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Jamaat has done what Awami League did in 2007. Nothing wrong with it. Bangladesh politics is like that. How can we forget the logi-boitha days and the non stop hartal call by AL in the late 1990s? AL is lucky that, BNP is yet to give any programmes of demonstration.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 11:09 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
This incident was instigated by the ruling party to finish Jamaat activities. Ask CEC to revoke Jamaat registration if ruling party feels. As long as Jamaat is considered as legitimate political party of the country. They must have right to go for political activities and police has no right to prevent them.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 11:05 AM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Jamaat is a religious party and where there is religious politics there will be no progress done. Believe me look at renaissance after religion was segregated from politics countries of western part evolved and despite of having resources and opportunities some of the countries in the world are still backwards. Its because of religion. Not only Islam but all religious should be banned cause Bangladesh is a secular country.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 01:58 PM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
They surely have the right to protest but have no right to vandalise and torch vehicles and create trouble for common people. Surely ISI is behind them.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 01:47 PM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Cannot understand if Jammat is a political party of collective names of gangsters? Trying to destabilise an institutionalised government is act of tyranny. Have they forgotten how alienated they became from the mass after 1971. So time has come for the peaceful citizens to reject them and send them into the bin.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 01:03 PM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
If you corner a cat it turns into a tiger. Let Jamaat, BNP and whoever exercise their democratic rights unhindered.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 12:30 PM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Jamaat did something like this in a long time, and I applaud them for this. It is the Police they should be blaming for their heavy handedness. These forms of proportionate violence should occasionally continue until genuine democracy is restored.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 03:17 PM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
The people of Bangladesh must reject those political parties who actively took part against libreration war, slaughtered hundreds of thousands of men, women and children, and still further, they not only deny their involvment in atrocities during the liberation war, they also deny the exitstence of Bangladesh. How dare they demand the release of war criminals? It is the demand of Bangladeshi people to bring them to justice. People of Bangladesh must resist any effort of misusing democratic rights.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 03:28 PM GMT+06:00 (112 weeks ago)
Jamaat should take tough action against government's undemocratic policy. Jamaat is a recognized political party and they have every right to run political activities in Bangladesh.