Hefazet mayhem in Narayanganj: Police, RAB file six cases

Leaders and activists of hardline Islamist party Hefazat-e-Islam block Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj during a day-long hartal across the country on 28 March 2021
Prothom Alo

Six cases have been filed over the violence and clashes carried out by hardline Islamist party Hefazat-e-Islam on a three-kilometre stretch of Dhaka-Chattogram highway during strike (hartal) on Sunday.

Some 25-30 people have been named and 400-500 other unidentified persons were made accused in each case.

Police filed five cases and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) filed another one with Siddhirganj police station on Monday night.

Officer-in-charge (OC) of Siddhirganj police station Mashiur Rahman confirmed this.

OC Mashiur Rahman told Prothom Alo, the police filed five cases and RAB filed another one on allegations of obstructing government duty, attacking police, harming peoples’ lives and property, sabotage, creating terror, blocking roads, torching and vandalising vehicles.

The OC said five lawsuits including that of the RAB’s were registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act . The other case was for obstructing government duty, attacking and injuring police personnel.

No arrests were made and efforts are on to nab the accused, he added.

Nearly 50 people including police and journalists were injured during several phases of clashes between police personal and Hefazat men in Narayanganj during the dawn-to-dusk hartal on Sunday.

Two people were hit by bullets during the incidents. Seventeen vehicles were torched. More than 100 vehicles including ambulances and two media cars were vandalised.

The three-kilometer stretch of Dhaka-Chattogram highway from Signboard to Shimrail area turned into a battleground from the morning to 12pm on Sunday.