3 lawmen among 7 killed

 

Policemen gather near a bruning car after Hefajat-e Islam activists vandalise and set fire to vehicles during clash with police at Kanchpur in Narayanganj Monday morning. Photo: TV grab

Seven including three law enforcers and two garments workers were killed and over 50 hurt when Hefajat-e Islam activists clashed with security forces at Kanchpur in Narayanganj Monday morning couple of hours after the group was driven off the capital.
While witnesses identified another dead victim as a transport worker, local Hefajat leaders claimed the other victim as their activist, reported our Narayanganj correspondent.
Of the lawmen, two were members of police and the other of Border Guard Bangladesh. Their details could not be known immediately.

The other four are Jasimuddin, 32, a transport worker, Jewel, 25, and Hannan, workers of Sinha Garment and Al Amin Sweater Factory, and Babu Gazi.
The Hefajat men fought pitched battle with the law enforcers when a joint team of police, Rab and BGB went to raid a madrasa at Sanarpara in Siddhirganj after Fazr prayers.
During the incident, the marauding Hefajat men also torched and vandalised around 10 vehicles including a van of Rapid Action Battalion.
Police fired several hundreds of gunshots, rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse the unruly activists.
Transport movement on Dhaka-Chittagong highway remains suspended following the clashes till 11:00am when this report was filed.
The clashes erupted hours after Hefajat leaders and activists were flushed out from Shapla Chattar in the capital’s commercial hub Motijheel where they took position since Sunday afternoon to press home their 13-point demand including stern punishment to “atheist leaders” of the Shahbagh movement.
Locals said a joint team of police, Rab and BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) went to raid Madaninagar Madrasa at Sanarpara in Siddhirganj after the Fazr prayer but faced resistance from the madrasa authorities.
As the authorities made an announcement about the police action through a loudspeaker, hundreds of Hefajat men joined the madrasa staff and students and clashed with the law enforcers.
The clash soon spread to at least 10 spots at Sanarpara, leaving four people on the spot and over 50 people injured.
The injured, which included at least 10 law enforcers, were rushed to Khanpur 200-bed Hospital.
Two police and one BGB personnel were declared dead when they were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, hospital sources said.
Deputy Commissioner of Narayanganj Monoj Kanti Boral and Civil Surgeon Dulal Chandra Chowdhury visited the 200-hospital.