At least 26 people, including five policemen, were injured when Jamaat-e-Islami supporters locked in clashes with law enforcers in Comilla Wednesday morning.
Two separate clashes took place in Syedpur and Chouddagram upazila in the morning during a nationwide blockade of the BNP-led 18-party alliance.
Three policemen hurt in Syedpur
Jamaat supporters tried to block the Dhaka-Chittagong highway and set the road on fire in Syedpur area around 9am, police said.
They pelted stones when police intervened, Burichang police Officer-in-Charge Amirul Islam said. Police replied with 142 rounds of rubber bullets and a teargas shell.
Burichang police Inspector Kamruzzaman and two other policemen were injured at scene, he said. 12 Jamaat supporters were also injured.
Three people were nabbed from scene, he said. Eight more were nabbed in raids through Comilla town during Tuesday night. However, identities of the detained could not be obtained.
The incident took place during a nationwide blockade of the BNP-led 18-party alliance amidst the stay to the execution of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Molla.
Two policemen ‘beaten’ in Chouddagram
Witnesses said clashes began in Haidarpur area of the upazila when police tried to break a blockade of the opposition supporters around 10:30am.
At least ten people, including two policemen, were beaten at spot as police were compelled to fire blank shots to tame the situation, they said.
Chouddagram police OC Uttam Kumar Chakrabarty said it was a sudden attack of the Jamaat-Shibir. Sub-Inspector Kamruzzaman and Constable Bibhisan were injured.
“Shots were fired to bring situation under control,” he said without specifying whether it was live gunfire.
The injured were sent to Comilla Medical College Hospital.