Police are investigating the clashes that occurred between the New Market traders and Dhaka College students on Monday and Tuesday, says Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed.
“It happened in front of everyone. Keep patience. Steps will be taken,” he said at the Rajarbag Police Lines Central Jame Mosque in the capital on Friday.
“We’ve got CCTV footage and those from journalists. People have died and laws have been violated,” he said, adding that the political leaders were named in the cases based on specific allegations.
Addressing the traders, shop workers and students, the police chief said that these kinds of incidents portray the nation in a negative light.
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At least 50 people including journalists and bystanders were injured in the fatal clashes that turned the Mirpur Road from Science Laboratory to Nilkhet intersection into a battleground on Tuesday.
Two of the injured succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at hospitals while the condition of three others including two students is stated to be critical.
Two of the four cases were filed over the deaths by the relatives. Police filed the two other cases for use of explosives and obstructing law enforcers from performing duties.
DB to probe murder cases
The Detective Branch of police will investigate the deaths of two people in clashes between shop owners-workers and students of Dhaka College.
Documents of the case filed by deceased deliveryman Nahid Hossain’s uncle have been handed over to the DB police, confirms New Market police station Officer-in-Charge SM Qaiyum.
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Meanwhile, another case filed over the death of shopkeeper Morsalin would also be handed over to the DB police, New Market Zone Additional Commissioner Shahenshah said on Friday.
Around 150 unknown people have been named in the case.
Police scrutinizing CCTV footage
Responding to queries on why no one was detained over the clashes, OC Qaiyum said: “Police are surveying the CCTV footage and other videos.”
On the matter of three students being identified from the CCTV footage, he said: “Police are working with everything…we’re analyzing everything including those who were wearing helmets and the presence of outsiders.”
Two other cases have been filed over the matter, one under the Explosives Substances Act and the other for sabotage and obstruction of police work.
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At least 24 people, including former BNP president of New Market unit Moqbul Hossain, have been named in the cases.
“The persons named in the cases are accused of instigating the violence. Their political affiliation is not a matter of consideration here,” the OC claimed.
Moqbul was picked up from his house in the afternoon and interrogated at the DB office. Later, he was shown arrested in the case filed by police for sabotage and obstructing the law enforcers from performing duties.
Moqbul’s name was first mentioned by the Dhaka College students during a press conference on Wednesday as an instigator.
A member of the BNP’s Dhaka south unit, Moqbul is the former president of BNP’s New Market thana unit. He owns the two fast food shops – Welcome and Capital, from where the clash ensued on Monday night.
Moqbul earlier claimed that he was implicated in the case because of his affiliation with the BNP.
“Everyone named in the case is a leader of the BNP or its affiliate bodies. Many of them are staying abroad for several years,” he said, adding that it was nothing but a ploy to harass them politically.
Video of Nahid being hacked goes viral
Meanwhile, a video has surfaced on social media shows that a lifeless Nahid lying on the footpath being hacked by a man wearing a helmet on Tuesday.
Later, the attacker was refrained from the act by others while some people from the traders’ side recovered Nahid and took him to the hospital.
He died on Tuesday while being on life support at the DMCH.
Primarily, it was learned that Nahid was injured after being hit by a brick in the head.
The details of how Mursalin was injured could not be known.