Activists and supporters of arch rival BNP and ruling Awami League locked into a series of clashes yesterday centring BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s appearance in a court, turning Bakshibazar, Plassey and Chankharpool areas in the capital into battle zones.
At least 40 people on both sides, including ruling party lawmaker Chhabi Biswas, were injured during the clashes.
The BNP had plans to demonstrate in the area yesterday as Khaleda was set to appear before a special court on Alia Madrasa ground in two corruption cases, which the party terms “false and politically motivated.”
Learning about the BNP’s plans, members of the ruling party’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League were in position to foil any demonstration.
Moreover, the law enforcers were silent spectators before and in the first 20 minutes of the hour-long clash that began around 12:15pm, witnesses said.
Traffic movement in the areas was suspended during the clashes.
At one point of the clashes, the BNP men, many of who were Chhatra Dal activists, allegedly attacked Netrakona 1 Awami League MP Chhabi Biswas in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s emergency gate while leaving the area. They also set his microbus on fire.
Around 4,500 police personnel were deployed in and around the court area yesterday.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir later in the day blamed the ruling party men for the incident and announced demonstration programmes for tomorrow at district and divisional headquarters.
Fakhrul on Tuesday threatened of launching movement if the cases, filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission, were not withdrawn.
According to party sources, leaders of the city unit BNP and its front and associate bodies held a series of meetings to stage a showdown on the court premises yesterday.
Khaleda started from her Gulshan residence for the court at 11:15am. Situation was calm in the court area until noon. She had earlier skipped the case proceedings around 50 times citing different reasons including lack of reasons.
Before Khaleda’s arrival, members of the BNP and its student wing Chhatra Dal gathered in Bakshibazar intersection area. On the other hand, the Chhatra League men were in position in Plassey since morning.
According to witnesses, the clash ensued when a procession of the BNP had been blocked by a group of Chhatra League activists at Fazle Rabbi Hall intersection at 12:13pm. Chased and brick-hit, the BNP men engaged in counter-chase and set fire to tires on the street.
At that time, the ruling party supporters beat up several members of the rival group with sticks and iron rods. The Chhatra Dal men also had bamboo sticks.
Several crude bombs were blasted during the clash.
Eyewitnesses said police had remained silent in the first 20 minutes and later charged batons on the BNP supporters. The law enforcers also lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse them.
As the court proceedings ended around 1:15pm and the streets were calm, Chhatra League activists wielding iron rods and bamboo sticks brought out a procession led by its President Badiuzzaman Sohag.
After the clashes, shoes and bricks were found on the empty streets while fume coming out of burnt tires.
MP Chhabi Biswas came under attack while going to the DMCH along with his associate Yakub Ali and others for treatment.
Chhabi said: “Seeing the situation, I asked my driver to leave the place quickly. But all of a sudden, miscreants attacked my car and torched my vehicle.”
The lawmaker wondered why he had not been spared despite having an MP sticker on his vehicle.
Chhabi said one of the attackers hit his head and ear with a stick. Later his fellows took him to the emergency ward of the hospital from where the MP was transferred to a VIP cabin.
Dr Afrin of the DMCH said: “His left ear is fractured due to the attack. But he is out of danger now.”
DMCH police outpost In-Charge Inspector Mozzamel said around 22 people had taken primary treatment at the hospital. Among the injured, 15 were admitted to the emergency ward but they fled quickly to evade arrest.
Chawkbazar OC Azizul Huq said police would file a case. He claimed that the law enforcers had taken action during the clashes.
