Secretariat siege programme ends in violence
Clashes between police and demonstrators leave 70 opposition activists
injured
STAFF REPORTER
At least 70 leaders and activists of the Awami League led-14-party
combine suffered injuries in a series of clashes between police and the demonstrators in
the city during their Secretariat siege programme yesterday.
Most of the incidents took place in the central part of the city at
noon when police lobbed tear gas canisters and charged batons indiscriminately on the
opposition activists while the demonstrators retaliated by showering brickbats on the law
enforcers. In the meele some vehicles were damaged and furniture of pavement vendors were
set on fire.
The 14-party combine gave the call for Secretariat siege demanding
immediate acceptance of their electoral reform proposals and updating the old voter list
in accordance with the High Court order cancelling the new voter list and also protesting
the BNP-led alliance government’s miserable failure to run the state.
The major incident of the day took place near the GPO at about 12-32 pm
when Dhaka City Awami League general secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya (Bir
Bikram) and joint secretary Haji Mohammad Selim reached there leading a procession and all
of a sudden the marchers began to shower brickbats and stone chips on the policemen
deployed on the other side of the barbed wire fencing near Pir Yameni Market.
In retaliation, police pelted brick chips first and then
indiscriminately lobbed tear gas canisters on the agitating activists to disperse them and
after that the riot police chased the fleeing demonstrators. Taking position at different
lanes and by-lanes, the retreating activists again started pelting stones on the police
and set fire to old tyres and furniture of pavement vendors.
Police charged batons on the opposition activists, who tried to break
open the barbed wire fencing. The agitators pelted stones on the police. The police then
lobbed tear gas canisters on the demonstrators. At least 50 people, mostly activists of
the 14-party combine, and a photojournalist of daily News Today Tapan Dey, suffered
injuries.
Soon the pitched battle spread across South Gate of Baitul Mukarram
National Mosque, Bangabandhu Avenue, Gulistan Square, Golap Shah Mazar crossing, Syed
Nazrul Islam Sarani and other adjoining areas which continued for half-an-hour. The entire
area was engulfed by thick columns of smoke emitting from exploded tear gas canisters. No
shop could be opened since early in the morning as police put up barricades preventing
movement of vehicles and pedestrians.
Movement of vehicles was also restricted on Bangabandhu Avenue, from
Golap Shah Mazar to Paltan crossing, on Syed Nazrul Islam Sarani, Gulistan Square to Noor
Hossain Square, Abdul Ghani Road in front of Secretariat, Paltan intersection to Kadam
fountain, Prof Ibrahim Road at Segunbagicha to Matsyabhaban intersection via Carpet
crossing and lanes and by-lanes due to barbed wire fencing put up earlier on all crossings
since early in the morning.
In another incident, at least 20 activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League
and the Dhaka University Correspondent of Daily Samakal Imtiazuddin suffered injuries as
club-wielding police swooped on them near Doel Chattar as the students in a procession
from Dhaka university campus tried to break open the barbed wire fencing and proceed
towards the Secretariat.
The student marchers pelted stones on the police and in retaliation
police also chased them and indiscriminately charged batons. The fleeing demonstrators
damaged a taxi-cab parked near Bangla Academy.
A big procession from Khilgaon led by Awami League organising secretary
Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Dhaka City Awami League leaders Faezuddin Miah and Kamal
Chowdhury was blocked by police near Dainik Bangla intersection at about 11-45 am when
they staged demonstration there.
Another procession led by Asaduzzaman Noor MP, Advocate Sahara Khatun
and Shahjahan Khan MP that marched towards secretariat from Malibagh crossing was halted
by police near Kasturi restaurant at Bijoy Nagar at about 11-30 am. The marchers sat on
the street and staged demonstration there.
Police also stopped another big procession of Awami League led by
Mohammad Nasim MP, Major General (Retd) Subid Ali Bhuiyan and Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed
near Matsyabhaban crossing in the morning. As the marchers could not proceed further they
staged demonstration on the spot.
Earlier, speaking at a rally from a truck-dais in front of Awami League
central office at Bangabandhu Avenue, central leaders of the 14-party combine blasted the
BNP-Jamaat alliance government for violating the people’s constitutional rights of
staging political programmes like rallies, marches and demonstrations by imposing Section
144 during their peaceful Secretariat siege programme.
They said people have already expressed their ‘no confidence in
the alliance government’ for its miserable failure in all sectors, soaring prices of
essential commodities and rising terrorism.
Presided over by Awami League Presidium member Tofail Ahmed, the rally
was addressed by, among others, Abdul Jalil MP, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Obaidul Quader,
Mukul Bose, Akhteruzzaman and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya (Bir Bikram) of Awami
League, Mainuddin Khan Badal of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu), Rashed Khan Menon of
Workers Party, Haji Abdus Samad of Gano Azadi League, Dilip Barua of Samyabadi Dal and Md
Nurul Islam of Ganatantri Party.
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