BANGLADESH: A rally in Dhaka turns violent when government opposition activists, protesting what they call 'mass killings by police and governing party activists", clash with police
Record ID:
213919
BANGLADESH: A rally in Dhaka turns violent when government opposition activists, protesting what they call 'mass killings by police and governing party activists", clash with police
- Title: BANGLADESH: A rally in Dhaka turns violent when government opposition activists, protesting what they call 'mass killings by police and governing party activists", clash with police
- Date: 11th March 2013
- Summary: DHAKA, BANGLADESH (MARCH 11, 2013) (REUTERS) POLICEMEN STANDING GUARD NEAR THE OFFICES OF THE BANGLADESH NATIONALIST PARTY (BNP) OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS DURING PROTEST RALLY OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS CHANTING SLOGANS LEADERS OF THE OPPOSITION PARTIES ON DAIS ADDRESSING ACTIVISTS ACTIVISTS SHOUTING BOMBS GOING OFF AT THE RALLY ACTIVISTS RUNNING AND VEHICLES DRIVING OUT OF HARMS WAY ACTIVISTS SHOUTING ACTIVISTS SHOUTING, HOLDING STICKS ACTIVISTS BREAKING UP BRICKS ACTIVISTS THROWING STONES AND OTHER ITEMS AT POLICE ACTIVISTS SETTING FIRE TO MOTORCYCLE ACTIVISTS THROWING STONES AT POLICE A POLICE OFFICER TALKING ON WALKY-TALKY POLICE WATCHING ACTIVISTS IN THE DISTANCE, VAN TRICYCLE ON FIRE VAN TRICYCLE ON FIRE ACTIVISTS THROWING STONES AT POLICE POLICEMEN BATTING BACK STONES WITH SHIELDS VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS AND POLICE ACTIVISTS SETTING FIRE TO WOODEN FURNITURE POLICE RUNNING DOWN STREET ACTIVISTS RUNNING FOR COVER POLICE AND MEMBERS OF THE RAPID ACTION BATTALION CHASING ACTIVISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Bengali) POLICE OFFICER MEHEDI HASAN SAYING: "Police were far away from the rally at the start and suddenly they (protesters) blasted a few cocktail bombs and they ran towards the police with sticks. There were no policemen near here. The police had stayed far away to allow them to hold the rally peacefully." RIOT VAN TRYING TO PUT FIRE OUT
- Embargoed: 26th March 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bangladesh
- Country: Bangladesh
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVADP8CF01V07JDR1YXEBCOLZKG0
- Story Text: Opposition activists clashed with police on the streets of Dhaka on Monday (March 11) as an alliance of parties protested against what they called "mass killing by police and governing party activists."
Police arrested more than 50 people, including the acting secretary general of the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who is effectively the party's deputy leader, and its joint secretary general, Rizvi Ahmed.
The detentions came less than an hour after the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance called a dawn-to-dusk nationwide general strike for Tuesday (March 12).
There has been a wave of violence across Bangladesh, which activists have blamed on police, after Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death for crimes during the country's liberation war of 1971.
Police fired rubber bullets and threw teargas canisters to disperse the opposition activists who had begun throwing bricks and sticks at police.
Prior to that, a number of small homemade bombs had gone off at the Nightingale intersection in central Dhaka, just yards from the Nayapaltan headquarters of the BNP.
Two motorcycles and various wooden van tricycles were set alight, but order was soon restored when officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and armed police intervened.
"Police were far away from the rally at the start and suddenly they (protesters) blasted a few cocktail bombs and they ran towards police with sticks," said policeman Mehedi Hasan.
"There were no policemen near here. The police had stayed far away to allow them to hold the rally peacefully," he added.
Jamaat-e-Islami is a key member of the BNP alliance and several of its members and those of its student wing Shibir also joined Monday's rally. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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