The police on Friday arrested 34 people, including a union parishad chairman, and filed a case accusing more than 5,000 people in connection with Thursday’s violence, which left three people killed and more than 100 others injured.
Section 144 has remained in force while the police, Rapid Action Battalion and Boarder Guard Bangladesh personnel continued patrolling the area to avert further trouble.
Nurunnabi, a sub-inspector at the Bhujpur police station, filed the case accusing 150 identified people and 5,000 unidentified others in connection with the violence.
Shamsuddin, officer-in-charge of the police station, said they had continued drives in the area to arrest the attackers adding that 34 people, including UP chairman Shafiul Alam, also Bhujpur unit amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, had been arrested.
The upazila nirbahi officer Anjana Khan Majlish said no more bodies were found during overnight raids on the locality. ‘The situation is calm, but section 144 remains in force and we are watching the situation,’ she added.
At least three people were killed and more than 100 others, including police men and fire fighters, were injured during the bloody clashes between the activists of Awami League and Hefajat-e-Islam in Kazirhat area under Fatikchhari upazila on Thursday.
More than 100 motorbikes and nine vehicles were also burnt during the fighting which had erupted near the Kazirhat madrassah at about 1:30pm after mobs of villagers, incited by Hefajat men, attacked a procession brought out by the Awami League with nearly 500 motorbikes.
Among the injured admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, 38 people were taking treatment for slashes and bruises, and most of them identified themselves as leaders and activists of AL and its front organisations.
Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury, general secretary of Dhurong UP unit AL, who was also undergoing treatment in the hospital, said they had found several electric poles lying on the road while crossing the madrassah area with the procession.
‘We heard an announcement on the PA system from the nearby mosque at that time that the Awami League activists men had set the mosque and the madrassah on fire,’ he said adding that several thousand madrassah students and locals had launched the attack on them after the false claims.
Mohammed Alauddin, a Chhatra League leader, who was undergoing treatment with injuries in the head and back, said most of the attackers were arrying machetes, iron rods and sticks.
‘They struck us with machetes, iron rods and sticks indiscriminately,’ he said adding many of his fellows ran for safety leaving their motorbikes behind, but fell unconscious after being hit in the head.
ATM Piarul Islam, a ruling party leader who was also leading the motorbike procession, said that all the deceased and injured people were leaders and activists of his party and its front organisations. (Source)
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