25 hurt as police charge batons on agitators

Local sources said hundreds of people under the banner of Mohanagar Unnayan Committee took position in Rajbari area to press home their several-point demands including, restoration of gas connections which have been severed by Gazipur City Corporation in the last two months. With Gazipur Metropolitan Awami League General Secretary Jahangir Alam, president of Mohanagar Unnayan Committee, in the chair, the agitation programme was also addressed by its General Secretary Waz Uddin Mia, Councillors of Gazipur City Corporation -  Jobed Ali Jobe, and Azizur Rahman Shirish. Then suddenly, police swooped on the agitators and started charging baton on them, leaving 25 people, including journalists injured. The journalists include Mohiuddin Ripon (Jamuna TV), Debesh Mallik (NTV), Aktar Hossain (Doinik Khobor Bangladesh), Masud Rana (Doinik Nobochetona). During the action of police, phone and camera of the Jamuna TV representative were also smashed. Officer-in-Charge of Gazipur Detective Branch Amir Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that the demonstration was illegal and disrupted highway traffic for hours. “They did not take any permission from the DC or the police for their demonstration.”