50 hurt as police foil left alliance’s plan to lay siege to EC

Police on Thursday foiled an attempt of the Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) to lay a siege to the office of the election commission at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city.

The left alliance leaders claimed that around 50 of their leaders and activists were injured as police charged them with batons near the SAARC Foara (fountain) at the Sonargaon intersection in Karwan Bazar as they were proceeding to lay siege to the election commission.

As part of their scheduled, the alliance held a rally in front of the National Press Club.

They organised the election commission siege to establish the voting rights of the people and to ensure a free and fair election.

When the procession of the alliance was passing the Engineers Institution, police intercepted them. The procession, however, reached the SAARC Foara where

police put up a barricade. When the leaders and activists of the alliance tried to pass, clashes with police ensued.

Police charged the leaders of the alliance with batons, the leaders alleged. The law enforcers also tried to disperse the procession.

The leaders and activists started demonstrating there.

Ganasanghati Andolan’s chief coordinator Zunaid Saki condemned the police attack.

Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) leader Ruhin Hossain told Prothom Alo that around 50 leaders and activists including Zunaid Saki and general secretary of United Communist League Mosharraf Hossain were injured.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Tejgaon zone assistant commissioner Sattoki Kabiraj told journalists that they had information that a sabotage had been planned from the procession.

The alliance leaders and activists were not allowed to proceed further for security reasons, he added.

He denied the allegation that police charged the leaders and activists with batons.

The police official said none is detained in connection with the incident.