The Dhaka Times Desk Jamaat-Shibir and 12 like-minded Islamic groups attacked journalists yesterday after Friday prayers. After the Friday prayers, there were massive clashes with the police in several places of the capital, including Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Kataban Basjid. In addition, at least 30 journalists were injured when journalists were targeted in this nationwide attack including Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna. At least 4 people have been killed in this rampage of Jamaat-Shibir across the country.
During the protest program of some religious groups, the Jamaat-Shibir again ran rampant across the country including the capital. There was a clash with the police. 4 people were killed in the violence. Among the dead are two in Gaibandha, one in Sylhet and one in Jhenaidah. Hundreds of people were injured across the country. Yesterday, before and after Friday prayers, riots were carried out in Baitul Mukarram, Kantaban, Nimatoli Gate adjacent to Dhaka University, National Press Club area, Segunbagicha and Mirpur. At least 12 journalists were injured in their rampage in the capital. Police arrested 172 people in the capital. During protests by Islamic parties across the country, they demolished the Shaheed Minar. At various places, the Janajagaran stage was vandalized. Police arrested more than two hundred leaders of Jamaat camps and religious groups across the country. Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu and Health Minister AFM Ruhul Haque visited the Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday to see the injured media workers. Meanwhile, after the violence of Jamaat-Shibir, the convener of blogger and activist network Dr. Imran H Sarkar.
The targets of the rioters were the central Shaheed Minar and Shahbagh's generation square. At the same time, when they tried to proceed with the procession towards Prajanm Chatwar, they were blocked by the police in front of the press club. At this time Baitul Mukarram, Paltan and Kantaban areas became battlefields in the clashes. Police fired hundreds of rounds of rubber bullets and tear gas to control the situation. The Jamaat-Shibir police were pelted with cocktail blasts and bricks and stones rained down from inside Baitul Mukarram.
Apart from this, the Jamaat-Shibir set fire to and vandalized the generation stage set up to demand the execution of war criminals in some districts of the country including Rajshahi, Chittagong, Bogra. Clashes took place in different areas of the country including Pabna, Jhenaidah, Khulna, Chandpur, Habiganj, Narayanganj.
The Jamaat-Shibir activists burnt the national flag, photos of Bangabandhu and Jahanara Imam at the generation stage in Satmatha area of Bogra city. The national flag was desecrated in Chandpur. Jamaat-Shibir carried out such anarchy and rampage across the country after the Friday prayers yesterday. Yesterday, they targeted the responsible journalists and behaved violently.
Such anarchy was created in the protest program across the country yesterday, including the capital, by accusing the youth of derogatory writings on blogs about Islam and anti-Islamic activities against the youth protesting at Shahbagh's Prajan Chatwar. Jamaat-e-Islami issued a statement on Thursday expressing solidarity with the religious party's program yesterday.
The rioters started marching towards Shahbagh from the north gate of the capital's Baitul Mukarram Mosque, chanting 'Chalo chalo Shahbagh chalo'. At the same time, a group started rampaging towards Shahbagh from Anandbazar in Chankhanarpool, near Shahbagh and the central Shaheed Minar. At the same time, another group headed towards Shahbagh from Kantaban Mosque area.
How the brawl begins
Eyewitnesses, police and worshipers said that the police surrounded Baitul Mukarram mosque area since yesterday morning. Muslims were allowed to enter the mosque after a body search at around 12 noon. At one point, hundreds of activists of religious groups, including the Khilafat Majlis, entered the mosque by force without search. They simultaneously broke the two gates of the mosque and entered inside. At that time, a group of people made a big noise on the stairs of the north gate of Baitul Mukarram, even though the sermon was going on in the microphone of the mosque. In the meantime, when the prayer started, hundreds of people occupied the road of the north gate and stood in prayer. Another group did not enter the mosque and stood on the stairs praying. At 1:23 PM, as soon as the prayers were over, a procession started from those two places towards Shahbagh with the slogan 'Let's go to Shahbagh, burn Shahbag's Astana'. The marchers broke the barricade at Purana Paltan Mor and UCBL crossing and advanced. When the procession went in front of the National Press Club, it was blocked by heavy police barricades. At this time, 15-20 cocktails exploded simultaneously from the side of Meherba building. The police swung into action when the batons started attacking the protesters. At the same time, cocktails were also fired from Azad Product Lane and East Gate of Baitul Mukarram. The Jamaat-Shibir created a frightening situation in the Baitul Mukarram area with massive cocktail explosions and street fires. This caused extreme panic among the common worshipers who went to pray at the National Mosque. Police fired numerous rubber bullets, shotgun shells and tear gas and lathicharged to control the clashes. Rioters set fire to two motorcycles at the North Gate of Baitul Mukarram. Traffic stopped in Purana Paltan area. Leaders of several religious groups who called for the program during the clashes in Baitul Mukarram area were seen helpless. They say that none of them is involved in such violence.
The conflict spread to Oligli
In the face of massive bombardment by the attackers, the police started firing tear shells and rubber bullets. At one stage the marchers dispersed and went to Oligli. A group of them attempted to attack the central office of the Workers' Party on Topkhana Road. They broke down an arch of the group that had set up demanding justice for the war prisoners. They retreated in the face of resistance from the crowd. A group of attackers tried to organize themselves by entering the Oligli around the Dhaka Reporters Unity area in Segunbagicha. The police gave chase and fired tear shells and rubber bullets. Aminul Haque Bhuiyan, the Entertainment Editor of Dhaka Reporters Unity, who was sitting in the Crime Reporters Association office, was injured by a rubber bullet. At the same time the attackers took out the procession from Segunbagicha Mosque. When they tried to attack the former president of Bangladesh Chhatra League Liaquat Sikder there, ordinary Muslims resisted it. Police arrested several people from there. Protesters also clashed with police in Matsya Bhavan area. Apart from this, clashes spread in the surrounding areas including Purana Paltan Azad Product Lane, El Mallik Complex Lane.
Clashes in Kantaban and Nimtali areas
Clashes also took place in the Jamaat-Shibir-controlled Kantaban Mosque area of the capital. During this time several people including AC of Ramna zone of police, OC of Shahbag police station were injured. Police fired 20-25 rounds of blank bullets and rubber bullets to control the situation. 4 people have been arrested from the incident.
Police and eyewitnesses said that before Juma, a procession was announced after prayers in a Hatmai. When the procession tried to leave the mosque after the prayers, the police prevented it. At that time, the Jamaat-Shibir workers started pelting bricks like rain at the police. They try to march past the barrier. Meanwhile, the Shahbag Police Station arrested 4 people from a group of 15 people who were brought by ambulance from Baruna Madrasa in Sylhet to join the procession from Kantaban Mosque. Apart from this, the Amar Ekushe Hall of DU and the Asiatic Society at Nimtoli Gate next to it were attacked. After Friday prayers, two processions came from Lalbagh Chapra Mosque and Chankharpul Mosque and gathered at Nimtali Gate. From there they threw bricks at Ekushey Hall while going to Shahbagh's generation square. At least 20 students were injured there. The students of the hall caught the 4 assailants and beat them up. Several pedestrians were hit by rubber bullets during the clashes between the protesters and the police.
They are trained
Various media reported that the attackers in Baitul Mukarram area had received special training. They took part in the attack and attacked media workers in kung fu and karate style. Independent TV cameraman Nurul Islam was attacked like this in front of Rangos building in Purana Paltan. Apart from this, attacks on the police are seen in Dainikbangla intersection in the same way. 'New Faces', Jamaat-Shibir occupied the mosque since the previous night: Ordinary worshipers who have been offering Friday prayers at Baitul Mukarram Mosque for a long time say that many youths were seen in the mosque yesterday. They have never been seen before. Basically this group took part in the attack. Yakub Hossain, a resident and businessman of Purana Paltan Line area, offered Friday prayers at the National Mosque for 18 years. A few Muslims including him said that many new Muslims were seen in Baitul Mukarram yesterday. The truth of this has also been found in the statements of some detainees. Aminul, who was arrested by the police with a rubber bullet, said that he came from Noakhali. Imran said that he is a student of Mirpur Darul Uloom Madrasah. Apart from this, the police arrested some people from Kantaban mosque, who came from Sylhet in an ambulance to Dhaka to offer 'Namaz'. According to the police, many workers of Jamaat-Shibir and some religious groups took refuge in the mosque from Thursday night. Yesterday before Friday, when the police went to conduct a search at the gate of Baitul Mukarram, they came out of the mosque and stopped them first. At one point, bricks were thrown at the police and media workers were attacked.
Throwing bricks and stones like rain
At around 2:30 pm, when the clashes stopped, the police made an announcement on the microphone and asked the people trapped in the mosque to come out. At that time, when a group of police stopped at the north gate, bricks were thrown like rain from inside the mosque. At one point, they set fire to the mosque's carpet inside. Police fired massive tear shells, rubber bullets and shotgun blanks at the North Gate. When the situation calmed down around 3:30 pm, the police once again requested the worshipers to come out of Baitul Mukarram. At this time, 3 people came out first. One of them was injured. The police were withdrawn from the north gate of Baitul Mukarram around 4:30 pm when many Muslims gradually came out. After Asr prayer, many worshipers came out of the mosque around 5 pm.
Mehdi Hasan, ADC of Motijheel Police Division, said that there are many people inside the mosque. However, the police have no plans to conduct raids inside the mosque. After the pilgrims left around 5:30 pm, Dainikbangla to Paltan road was opened for traffic.
Demonstrations in Dainik Bangla and Mirpur
Shortly after the Paltan incident, a section of leaders and activists of religious parties again gathered and took out a procession towards Dainikbangla. The police dispersed them. Meanwhile, there was a clash between the police and activists of religious groups at Mirpur No. 10 around 2 pm. The police arrested four persons named Ibadur Rahman, Kazi Ramjani, Abdul Hannan and Noor Alam from the spot.
Clashes across the country
A procession was taken out under the banner of Hefajat Islam in Palashbari upazila of Gaibandha yesterday afternoon after Friday prayers. At that time, 60 people were injured in the clash with the police. Among the injured, two who sustained gunshot wounds later died at the hospital. In Sylhet, the central Shaheed Minar and Ganajagran Manch were vandalized. In Jhenaidah, when religious party workers took out a procession, local people resisted it. At that time, a madrasa teacher named Abdus Salam was killed in the clash on both sides.
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