At least three policemen and a videographer from Somoy TV, a private television channel were injured in Jamaat-Shibir’s destructive rampage at Badurtola area in Chittagong.
Hundreds of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir activists brought out a procession from Arakan Road of the area at around 10:30am.
The Jamaat-Shibir men were protesting the cancellation of Jamaat’s registration with Election Commission (EC) and the arrest and trial of their leaders, as a part of their countrywide programme on Sunday.
Police said they blew up at least 15 cocktails in the area and vandalised at least seven vehicles including a police van, a Somoy TV video camera and a Policeman’s Chinese rifle.
Vehicle movement was at a standstill for an hour on Arakan Road due to the mayhem.
Ashraful Islam Mamun, videographer of Somoy TV received minor injuries while Assistant Sub-Inspector Mithun, Constable Hashem, Constable Jewel and another policeman of Panchlaish Police Station were admitted to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) in critical condition.
Qouting the on-duty doctor of CMCH, Jahirul Islam, and Sub-Inspector (SI) of CMCH Police Camp informed the Dhaka Tribune that policemen’s condition is stable now.
Police had arrested two activists from the area, identified as, Arif, 24, and Imam Hossain, 24, and were trying to apprehend the others involved.
When the procession reached the Bohoddarhat intersection in the city, Jamaat-Shibir men started vandalising and blowing up cocktails, said Md Shahidullah, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of the north zone in Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP).
The police, armed with shotguns, loaded with rubber bullets, charged at the protesters, who in turn hurled cocktails at them in an effort to get away.
According to ADC Shahidullah, Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised a patrol van of Panchlaish Police Station, two tempos and two CNG-run auto-rickshaws at the Jongi Shah Majhar area while fleeing the scene.
Filing of the case was under process, he said.