BNP-police clashes leave one dead as Naya Paltan turns battleground
Amid discussions and debate over the venue for BNP’s rally to be held on 10 December, BNP leaders and activists clashed with police in front of the party’s Naya Paltan central office, turning the area into a battleground.
The clashes left one man dead and more than 50 BNP men injured, with 25 of them receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
BNP said the deceased, Mokbul Ahmed, is a Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal leader of Pallabi’s ward no. 5 unit. Abdur Rahman, elder brother of the deceased, told Prothom Alo Mokbul Ahmed was shoe designer and a BNP supporter.
Following the clash, police raided BNP’s Naya Paltan central office from 4:30pm to 7:30pm and arrested several hundred party leaders and activists, including central leaders Amanullah Aman, Abdus Salam, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie, Shimul Biswas and former Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Abdul Kader Bhuiyan.
Police conducted search inside the BNP office until 9:30pm. After that, Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner (detective branch) Mohammad Harun-Or-Rashid told the newspersons at Naya Paltan that 300 leaders and activists of BNP were detained during the raid.
Following the afternoon clashes, BNP standing committee held an emergency meeting at night. The party announced it would hold demonstrations at all districts and cities across the country on Thursday protesting police attacks, firing and arrests of its party men.
After the meeting, BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud told Prothom Alo around 11:30pm that police have instigated the party men and attacked on them in bid to thwart their Dhaka rally. One was killed and many injured. From this incident it is evident that a police state has been established in the country and police have set an example that they can do anything at their will.
Meanwhile on Wednesday afternoon, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader at a party rally in Cox’s Bazar said BNP has started unleashing acts of terror on streets before their 10 December rally and they attacked the police.
According to witnesses, the clashes started around 2:45pm on Wednesday. Prior to that, BNP leaders and activists gathered in front of the head office at Naya Paltan and started chanting anti-government slogans. The gathering, at one stage, became so large that one side of the road was about to be blocked. Sensing that the situation could turn volatile, police asked the party members to leave the area immediately. This resulted in a heated argument and at one point, police started beating the activists with batons to disperse them, triggering the clash. Police also opened fire with shotguns and teargas.
Sensing that the situation could turn volatile, police asked the party members to leave the area immediately. This resulted in a heated argument and at one point, police started beating the activists with batons to disperse them, triggering the clash. The sound of bullets and teargas shells were heard in different lanes in Naya Paltan area from 2:44pm to 7:00pm. BNP men tried to retaliate several times. At one point, 50 to 60 party men took position, sitting on the road.
Syeda Sumaya, senior joint convener of Jatiyatabadi Chhattra Dal’s Eden Mohila College unit, was in Naya Paltan during the clashes. She took shelter in Bijoynaagar area when police chased the party activists. At around 3:45pm, Syeda Sumaya told Prothom Alo, “We were in a procession in front of the party office. Police attacked us from both sides all of a sudden and fired pellets and teargas shells. Several of our activities sustained injuries. Police also detained several others from the spot.”
Around 4:15 pm, police entered the BNP office and closed the collapsible gate. At that time, members of Detective Branch and Bomb Disposal Unit were seen entering the office. A moment later, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir arrived there, but he was denied entry to the office. He then sat on walkway in front of the office.
At around 5:pm, Mirza Fakhrul told newspersons “I am being denied entry to my office. Yet, police and Bomb Disposal Unit are entering and leaving the office. We suspect they will plant types of explosives in the office and blame us.”
Later, police detained the BNP leaders and activists from the party office and took them to a prison van in front of Mirza Fakhrul. Detained leaders were seen chanting slogans. About three and a half hour later, Mirza Fakhrul left the street. When he left the area around 8:00pm, Mirza Fakhrul told newspersons police entered the BNP office, carrying bags filled with explosive substances.
Ten minutes after Mirza Fakhrul left the office vicinity, police recovered five cocktails from the BNP office and defused those in front of office entrance. Crude hand bombs (cocktails) were defused two more times. At around 9:00pm, Paltan police station officer-in-charge (OC) Salauddin told the newspersons that 5 'cocktails' were defused.
According to witnesses, when police launched the raid at the party office, many of BNP leaders and activists took shelter at various rooms, locking the doors. Police broke down the doors and nabbed them. Police were also seen seizing two mikes used for the party programme from a pole on Naya Paltan street. Police were also seen taking away several motorcycles by van.
At around 8:00pm, Mirza Fakhrul told newspersons, “"Police have taken a CCTV, hard disk and important documents from our office to destroy the evidence of the attack. They also vandalised our office. Police attacked BNP leaders and activists like the junta forces of 1971."
Prior to this, several leaders of Ganatantra Mancha including Mahmudur Rahman Manna and Saiful Haque tried to march toward BNP office around 6:30pm, but police barred them at Bijoynagar’s Nightingale intersection. Before that, police also intercepted a delegation, led Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party member secretary Mujibur Rahman, on their way to the BNP office.
One killed in Naya Paltan
The deceased has been identified as Mokbul Ahmed. He resided in Baunia embankment area of the capital’s Mirpur. When clashes between BNP and the police began, Mokbul Ahmed sustained severe injuries. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where physicians declared him dead.
A certain Mostafizur Rahman took Mokbul Ahmed to the hospital. Mostafizur Rahman told Prothom Alo he brought Mokbul Ahmed to the hospital after finding him soaked in blood in front of the BNP office. On-duty physicians pronounced Mokbul Ahmed dead around 4:30pm and he bore pellet marks on his body.
According to hospital sources, Mokbul Ahmed and 25 other who were injured in Naya Paltan clashes were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Of them, a policeman and two BNP leaders were admitted to the hospital while the remaining injured received treatment at the hospital’s emergency department. Most of them received injuries from pellets. Many others also received treatment at various private hospitals, according to the party sources.
One of the injured, Robin Khan, organising secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhattra Dal’s Dhaka city west unit, was in critical condition.
Besides, a journalist was also injured. The Dhaka Journalist Union (DUJ) would demonstrate around 11:00am on Thursday in front of the National Press Club protesting the police attack on journalists while carrying out professional duty at Naya Paltan.
BNP’s Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie had been tasked with negotiating with police over fixing Suhrawardy Udyan or Naya Paltan as the venue of the 10 December rally. He, to, was detained. While being detained, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie told newspersons he talked to police commissioner and the police boss asked him to come for a discussion, but when he emerged from the office, the detective branch members nabbed him.
In the meantime, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq at a press conference on Wednesday evening said BNP will not be allowed to hold rally at Naya Paltan and if the party wants to organise it by force, legal action will be taken, he said, adding that BNP can hold a large gathering once it gets permission for a ground in Mirpur’s Kalshi, Purbachal, Tongi’s Ijtema ground, Suhrawardy Udyan or somewhere else.
BNP leaders alleged the ruling party were issuing various threats to thwart the 10 December rally in Dhaka. Though BNP sought permission to hold its rally at Naya Paltan, the ruling party forcefully trying to send BNP to Suhrawardy Udyan. So, BNP started doubting since the beginning and now violence has been carried out by police three days before the rally so that the party can no longer organise the programme.
Party sources said BNP will hold its standing committee meeting to set its the next course of action as well what to do the 10 December.
Replying to a query on whether it is possible to hold the rally amid this situation, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told the newspersons on Wednesday evening all are happening centring the 10 December rally and the government is out to foil the rally.