Gopalganj protesters torch army vehicle

Protesters in Gopalganj torched an Army vehicle during a demonstration protesting against ‘forcing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to leave the country’.

The protesters also snatched the arms of an army man during the incident.

Gopalganj is the home town of Sheikh Hasina, who was toppled on 5 August following a student-mass uprising.

The incident took place near Gopinathpur bus stand under Gopinathpur union parishad in Gopalganj Sadar upazila around 3:30pm.

At least seven persons including five army men were injured during the scuffle.

Two journalists—Badal Saha, Gopalganj district correspondent of Channel 24 and Sabpat Ahmed, district correspondent of Maasranga Television—were beaten while they went to the spot to cover the incident.

Local sources said Awami League held a protest rally at Gopinathpur bus stand area on Dhaka-Khulna highway demanding return of Sheikh Hasina.

Leaders and activists of Awami League from Gopinathpur and Jalalabad unions of Sadar upazila and Nijamkandi union of Kashiani upazila joined the demonstration.

As the blockade created traffic gridlock on both sides of the road, a team of army men reached the spot. A scuffle broke out as the protesters jeered at the army.

At one point, the protesters start beating the army men who fired blank bullets to disperse the crowd. The army men had run away from the scene and took shelter at a nearby house. At one point, protesters snatched arms from an army man and torched their vehicle.

After rallying brandishing the snatched arms, the protesters submitted it to Gopinathpur police investigation center. As the police refused to take the arms, it was handed over to Gopinathpur union parishad’s former chairman Lacchu Sharif.

Sharif said he has already informed the army about the custody of the arms.

The army men said they will recover the arms.

Asked, Major Atiqur Rahman Rosad, who is in charge of the army in Gopalganj, said detailed information about the incident would be provided later on.