Pandemonium broke out in and around the central office of the Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue on Monday when a series of homemade bombs went off injuring at least one policeman.
The explosions touched off a police action on the Awami Juba League activists who were preparing for a rally in front of the party central office at 4:00pm.
Immediately after the explosions, the activists of the party ran for cover and took shelter inside the party office, but the police in riot gear barged into the premises, ransacked it and clubbed the activists, foiling their bid to hold the rally.
The police in the evening also obstructed Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, who wanted to go to the spot, at four points between Dhanmondi and Bangabandhu Avenue.
When the police went on action inside the party office, they arrested some 100 workers and recovered 14 bombs and a pistol from there, a police handout said.
In parliament, Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury held Awami League responsible for the explosions which left a police constable injured.
The constable, Noor Mohammad, 35, of Shaheed Ahad Camp in Paltan, was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with head injuries.
According to witnesses, unidentified men hurled several bombs onto the on-duty policemen at about 4:00pm from the rooftop of a building adjacent to the Awami League office.
Until Sheikh Hasina reached the spot at about 7:00pm, the police cordoned off the building without allowing the workers to come out of the office.
AL general secretary Abdul Jalil claimed that Hasina’s motorcade was obstructed at Elephant Road, Shahbagh crossing, Matsya Bhaban and Zero Point, holding her back for about two hours.
Hasina went to the party office and rescued the leaders and workers kept captive inside the building. When Hasina reached Bangabandhu Avenue, the entire area plunged into darkness as electricity supply was suspended.
Later, the AL chief told journalists that the whole situation was a “pre-planned managed game” of the government to divert public outrage over the attack on litterateur Humayun Azad.
She blamed the prime minister and the state minister for home, Lutfozzaman Babar, for the bomb incident near the Awami League office.
Meanwhile, Altaf apprised parliament Monday night that at least eight powerful bombs were hurled on on-duty police personnel from inside the Awami League central office, leaving several policemen injured.
He said immediately after the incident, the police raided the AL office and recovered 14 cocktail bombs and a bullet-loaded pistol.
The minister informed the House that the police arrested a number of criminals and the rest would be arrested immediately.
“We, in any circumstances, would not allow those activities,” said the home minister warning the opposition of tough government action. “Everybody knows the intention of such attacks on the police,” he said.
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