Clashes in two waves between police and Islami Chhatra Shibir left at least 15 people, including two policemen, injured at the capital’s Elephant Road and New Market on Monday afternoon.
Men from Shibir – the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami – damaged around 20 vehicles and set off 25 crude bombs while police fired blank shots and charged batons.
During the violence, the roads were blocked from 2pm for about an hour, causing a severe traffic gridlock and inconvenience to commuters.
Police detained around 10 Shibir activists connected to the clash.
The fighting erupted when Shibir activists brought out processions at Elephant Road around 2pm and at the New Market area at 2:30pm as part of their earlier scheduled programme.
They had been staging demonstrations protesting verdicts by the Supreme Court and the International Crimes Tribunal against the Jamaat leaders in connection with war crimes.
During both processions, Shibir men went on a rampage and set off crude bombs, witnesses said.
“Police went into action through batons charges to disperse the unruly Shibir men who damaged vehicles, set off bombs and created traffic jams amid panic among commuters,” said Yiasir Arafat, officer-in-charge of New Market police station.
Police had detained some attackers on the spot, and drives were on to arrest others involved in the attacks, he said.
In the past two days police arrested at least 30 Jamaat-Shibir men from the capital’s Hajaribagh, Malibagh and Mirpur and over 60 crude bombs were recovered from their possessions.
Four policemen were also injured in the attacks by the Shibir men.
