Cocktails explode amid protest against janaza at Baitul Mokarram
Two crude bombs were exploded in front of Baitul Mokarram National Mosque in Dhaka where the body of war criminal and former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam has been brought for namaz-e-Janaza.
No-one was hurt in the explosions that took place within a span of 15 seconds around 11:30pm, our correspondents reported from the spot.
Two more unexploded crude bombs were also recovered from the area.
An alliance of Islamic parties today protested the move to hold Ghulam Azam's namaz-e-janaza there after the Zohr prayers.
"The janaza of a war criminal can never be held at the holy mosque," said Ziaul Hasan, chairman of Bangladesh Sommilito Islami Jote, an alliance of Islamic parties, from a human chain programme at Jatiya Press Club in the morning.
Meanwhile, police resisted a group of 10 to 15 activists of Islami Oikyo Jote at Paltan crossing when they started towards Baitul Mokaram in procession protesting the janaza at the national mosque.
Blogger online activist and Bangladesh Chhatra Moitree also took position near Paltan police outpost.
Security has been beefed up in the area so that no untoward incident can take place centring the janaza as the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and like-minded parties are seen gathering in Paltan area to janaza.
Ghulam Azam, who had been serving 90-years' imprisonment for masterminding war crimes during the Liberation War, died Thursday night at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka at the age of 92.
On July 15 last year, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 handed down the sentence after finding him guilty of the offences of conspiracy, planning, incitement, and complicity in crimes against humanity and genocide and murders during the war.
Family members decided to bury Ghulam Azam at his family graveyard in capital's Moghbazar after his namaz-e-janaza at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Zohr prayers today.
Ghulam Azam had expressed a wish to be laid to rest beside his father's grave, Abdullahil Aman Azmi, the son of the former Jamaat-e-Islami ameer, told The Daily Star yesterday.
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