Four killed in Hathazari: Police

Police said four protesters were killed in Chattogram’s Hathazari area after students of Hathazari madrasa clashed with police on Friday afternoon.

The students brought out a procession after the Juma prayer, protesting clashes between devotees and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men at Baitul Mukarram mosque area in Dhaka.

Clashes broke out at Baitul Mukarram area as a section of devotees had started to demonstrate after Juma prayer against the visit of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

Chattogram Medical College Hospital police outpost’s assistant sub inspector Alauddin Talukder told Prothom Alo at around 4:45pm that many injured in the clashes were taken to the hospital and on-duty physicians pronounced four among them dead.

Their identities could not be confirmed immediately.

Police said they opened blank fire to disperse the protesters after they hurled brick chips to the Hathazari police station. Some protesters were injured in the clash.

Students of the Hathazari madrasa blocked Hathazari-Nazirhaat road protesting the incident.

Upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Hathazari Ruhul Amin told Prothom Alo that the students attacked Hathazari police station, land office and Dak Bunglow.

Additional police force is being deployed in Hathazari, he added.

Teacher and managing committee member of Hathazari madrasa Maulana Yahya did not want to speak about the incident, saying he was unwell.