11 hurt as cops, JCD men clash
At least 11 people, including five policemen, were injured in a clash between Chhatra Dal men and police in Bogura town’s Khokon Park area yesterday over walking on the Shaheed Minar wearing shoes.
Police detained over 20 leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) for interrogation.
Chhatra Dal leaders said several hundred JCD men gathered in Khokon Park area since 10:00am to go to the BNP office on Nawabbari Road to organise a rally, marking the 41st founding anniversary of the pro-BNP student front.
Sanatan Chakraborty, additional superintendent of Bogura police, said some 50-60 Chhatra Dal men walked on the Shaheed Minar with their shoes on around 12:30pm. As the law enforcers asked them not to walk there wearing shoes, only some of them complied.
But the others were angered at this. They carried out the attack, leaving five cops, including Sanatan, injured.
Sanatan, ASI Ashraful, constables Sifat, and Mamun took primary treatment at Bogura Police Lines Hospital.
Other injured Parvez was admitted to Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital with a head injury.
Speaking to this newspaper, Bogura JCD General Secretary Nure Alam Rigan said they went to the police superintendent’s office three days ago to seek permission for holding a rally at the Titu Auditorium on the occasion of the student front’s founding anniversary. But the SP asked them to organise the event at the BNP office.
Yesterday, the JCD men gathered in Khokon Park area to go to the party office, around 100 yards off the park. Local BNP lawmakers GM Siraj and Mosharraf Hossain were also present.
At one stage, police started using batons on the Chhatra Dal men alleging that they walked on the Shaheed Minar wearing shoes.
“Police beat up Chhatra Dal leaders and activists, leaving many of them wounded. Six of them are now undergoing treatment at different clinics in the town,” Rigan added.
He claimed that police picked up over 20 JCD men.
GM Siraj MP said a few Chhatra Dal men might have walked on the Shaheed Minar wearing shoes. “We said sorry to the police for any such incident. But despite that the law enforcers beat up Chhatra Dal men.”
Bogura Sadar OC SM Badiuzzaman said they would file a case against the JCD men over attacking police and obstructing them from carrying out their duties.
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