50 opposition leaders, workers injured in police action
Cops swoop on 14-party procession to EC
STAFF REPORTER
At least 50 leaders and workers of the 14-party combine including Awami
League presidium members Abdur Razzak MP and Tofail Ahmed, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD)
president Hasanul Haq Inu and five women demonstrators and a policeman suffered injuries
in a series of clashes between opposition activists and police during the
Opposition’s siege programme of the Election Commission (EC) in the city yesterday.
Police charged batons indiscriminately, used water cannons and lobbed
tear gas shells on the procession of 14-party combine at the crossing of Dhanmondi Road-27
as it was moving towards the EC office at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to lay a siege there
demanding realisation of their various demands including removal of the ‘partisan
officials’ of the Commission including the Chief Election Commissioner Justice MA
Aziz.
As the agitated marchers tried to march towards the EC by removing the
barbed wire fencing put up at Road-27 crossing at Dhanmondi, club-wielding police squad
swooped on them. Police also picked up some marchers. Following the police action, the
agitating opposition activists torched a minibus at the same spot.
Leaders of the 14-party combine claimed that over 300 of their
activists including 10 women workers of the Juba Mahila League were wounded and about 200
picked up by police during their peaceful EC-gherao programme.
Addressing a brief rally at Kalabagan-Panthapath intersection, leaders
of the 14-party combine lambasted the alliance government for resorting to repression on
their peaceful street demonstration programme and violating their constitutional rights of
staging political programmes. Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil spoke at the
rally as the co-ordinator of the 14-party combine.
Abdul Jalil alleged that police intentionally attacked their peaceful
procession. He said no repression could stop them from staging demonstrations for freeing
the Election Commission from partisan officials and the on-going movement would continue
till the ouster of the repressive alliance government from power.
Earlier the Awami League-led 14-party combine announced the EC siege
programme and the election offices across the country demanding removal of the
‘partisan officials’ from the EC and reforms in the caretaker administration and
the EC for a free, fair and neutral election.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), a component of the
left-leaning 11-party alliance, also observed the EC gherao programme separately in the
city yesterday by bringing out a procession from Muktangan. The CPB marchers were
intercepted by the police near Kakrail intersection where its general secretary Mujahidul
Islam Selim addressed a rally.
Earlier, the leaders and activists of AL, the left-leaning 11-party
alliance, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) and Prof Muzaffar Ahmed-led National Awami
Party (NAP) assembled at two points in the city, Russell Square and Agargaon, in front of
the Met Office at 11 am.
Then, they marched towards the EC office at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to lay
a siege there to press the government to concede to their demands.
A large procession led by Awami League stalwarts Abdur Razzak MP,
Tofail Ahmed, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Ataur Rahman Khan Kaisar, Muhammad Nasim, Col (Retd)
Faruque Khan MP, Shahjahan Khan MP, Krishak League President Dr Mirza Abdul Jalil, Dhaka
City AL General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya (Bir Bikram), JSD President
Hasanul Huq Inu, Gono Forum General Secretary Saifuddin Ahmed Manik, Ganotantri Party
leader Md Nurul Islam, Swechchasebak League President AFM Bahauddin Nasim began marching
towards EC from Russell Square at 11:30 am.
Police with water canons, riot cars and prison vans intercepted the
procession at Dhanmondi Road-27 crossing near Rapa Plaza at about 11:45 am.
The marchers locked into an altercation with police as they removed the
barbed wire fencing put up earlier by police there. At one stage, police chased them and
in retaliation, the demonstrators began to throw brickbats on the police.
Then the police charged batons, threw brickbats and used water canons
to disperse the angry processionists. The entire area from Russell Square to Rapa Plaza
turned into a battlefield for nearly an hour when people rushed helter-skelter for cover
and movement of vehicular traffic came to a total halt.
JSD president Hasanul Haq Inu and Awami League Presidium members Abdur
Razzak and Tofail Ahmed, Krishak League president Dr Mirza Abdul Jalil, Mahila League
leaders Farida Yasmin Jhuma and Sabina Akhtar Tuhin and a police constable Pradip received
injuries in the clashes between police and the marchers.
Hasanul Huq Inu, who received head injuries in police action, was
admitted to the Bangladesh Medical College Hospital.
Protesting the police action, the agitating opposition activists set on
fire a minibus bearing number Dhaka Metro J-11-3010 which was requisitioned by the police
at Dhanmondi Road-27.
The leaders and activists of Mohila Awami League and Juba Mohila League
took shelter in the Pancare Hospital. At that time, a patient namely Shanta came out of
the hospital and police also beat her up.
Though the woman, who is pregnant, told the policemen that she was not
an opposition activist, but a patient of that hospital where she came for doctor’s
advice, police did not spare her. The pregnant woman was not only roughed up by
policewomen but a constable Ruhul Amin also beat her and picked her up in the prison van.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner (South) of Dhaka Metropolitan
Police Mazharul Haq, who was on duty at the spot, denied the allegation and said that he
had not witnessed such an incident.
On the other hand, when female opposition activists came out from the
hospital, police again attacked them. They took shelter in the hospital but police beat
them up entering into the hospital.
Another procession led by Awami League Presidium member Matia
Chowdhury, Syed Zafar Sazzad and Moinuddin Khan Badal of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Kamal
Ahmed Majumder and leaders of Pallabi and Mirpur Thana Awami League started for the
Election Commission from Mirpur Section-10 square. Police put up barbed wire fencing at
Agargaon intersection to stop the marchers.
The peaceful processionists got agitated when it reached the spot of
barricade and they tried to remove the blockade. But, police resisted them and told them
not to proceed. Later, the marchers sat down on the street and held a rally there later.
Begum Matia Chowdhury, Syed Zafar Sazzad, Moinuddin Khan Badal, Kamal
Ahmed Majumder, local ward commissioner Shaheda Tarek Deepti, Pallabi Thana Awami League
president Ilyas Mollah, secretary Kamal Master, Mirpur Thana unit president Delwar
Hossain, secretary Mohammad Hanif, Sramik League leader Tofael Ahmed and Mahila Awami
League leader Lily Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the rally blasting the alliance
government for its repression on its political opponents.
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