Jamaat continues attacks on police
At least 10 people including three policemen were injured in an attack by Islami Chhatra Shibir activists in Narayanganj city yesterday as Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Shibir continued resorting to violence in different areas of the country.
And police detained at least 117 Jamaat-Shibir activists in five districts including Dhaka on charge of attacking law enforcers and for vandalism.
Jamaat-Shibir men were found carrying haversacks during several attacks on the law enforcers in the last few days.
In Narayanganj, police yesterday saw that Shibir men were bringing out brick chips, sticks and kerosene from their haversacks during the attack, reports our correspondent.
The Shibir activists vandalised at least five vehicles and set fire to a police van in Rail Gate-2 area of the river port city.
None was, however, arrested in this connection.
Police and witnesses said Shibir brought out two processions from Noor Masjid area and Old Court area in the city around 11:30am, demanding release of the detained top Jamaat leaders, who are now being tried on war crimes charges.
When the processions reached Rail Gate-2 area, Shibir men attacked on-duty police personnel with sticks and threw brick chips on them. They vandalised five vehicles including the police van carrying the officer-in-charge of Sadar Model Thana and set fire to it. The OC was also injured.
Police lobbed 10 teargas canisters and 20 rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.
Witnesses claimed that many Shibir activists were hiding in a BNP rally held in DIT commercial area in observance of the 48th birth anniversary of Senior Vice Chairman of the party Tarique Rahman. They also joined the attack on police.
In another incident in Martuzabad area of Rupgan upazila in Narayanganj, police detained four Jamaat-Shibir activists from their procession.
In Dhaka, police detained 16 Jamaat-Shibir men at Kafrul early yesterday on charge of attacking police on November 10. And huge leaflets, posters and other publications against the war crimes tribunal and the government were recovered from their possession, said Shah Iftekhar Ahmed, DMP assistant commissioner of Pallabi zone.
The detainees were produced in a court that placed them on a one-day remand.
Our Chittagong correspondent reports: Police detained 78 Jamaat-Shibir activists from Sunday midnight to yesterday evening at different dormitories and messes in Chittagong in connection with their rampage in different places of the port city on Sunday, leaving five law enforcers injured.
On Sunday night, police filed three cases against 65 Jamaat-Shibir men, including party lawmaker from Satkania constituency ANM Shamsul Islam and former lawmaker from the same constituency Shahjahan Chowdhury.
A Chittagog court yesterday sent 40 of them to jail.
Police also held six Jamaat-Shibir activists yesterday morning in Chandanaish upazila and detained four from Sitakunda of Chittagong from their procession in Dohajari area of the upazila.
Our Rajshahi correspondent reports: Police held three Jamaat-Shibir activists at Sonadighi intersection of the city yesterday morning for resorting to after a procession.
A report from our Narshingdi correspondent says: Police detained six Jamaat-Shibir activists from their procession in the town.
Our Dinajpur correspondent reports: Shibir activists yesterday morning burnt tires on a road in presence of police.
Later, they brought out a procession in the town brandishing wooden sticks without any action from law enforcers.
But police later claimed they drove away the Shibir activists as soon as they got together in Kalitola area.
On November 4, Jamaat announced a nine-day agitation programme from November 5 to press home its demand for immediate release of the party's top leaders, including those facing war crimes trial.
In the last few days, several hundred people including more than 200 policemen and three journalists were injured during dozens of clashes between the law enforcers and Jamaat-Shibir men across the country.
In a statement yesterday, Shibir said they would continue street agitations until their top leaders are released.
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