The Bangladesh Nationalist Party supporters have been facing attacks by the ruling Awami League activists and police whenever the main opposition party tries to stage rallies and processions protesting at the price hikes of energy and essential commodities.
The law enforcers have been raiding the houses of BNP leaders and activists after filing cases against them in different places over the recent political violence.
Local administrations have been imposing restrictions in places to prevent the opposition party from holding their planned protest rallies against hikes in prices of fuel and commodities.
Clashes erupted in Cumilla’s Nangalkot, Dhaka’s Savar and Netrakona’s Madan on Wednesday afternoon after the opposition activists came under attack from police and the local Awami League.
The local administration slapped section 144 of the CrPC at Noakhali’s Chowmuhani, Rangamati’s Juraichari and Cumilla Sadar on Wednesday to prevent violence after both the opposition and the ruling parties had called for political programmes at the same venues around the same time.
The BNP has been under constant attack since August 22, when the party units in districts staged rallies in protest of fuel and commodity price hikes, as well as the deaths of two of their activists in a police shooting in Bhola.
During a press conference on Monday, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that more than 750 leaders and activists had been injured in these attacks.
At least 25 people, including policemen, were injured in a clash between activists of the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Nangalkot upazila of Cumilla district on Wednesday morning, United News of Bangladesh reported.
The injured are undergoing treatment at a local hospital, said Kazi Abdur Rahim, additional superintendent of Cumilla police.
During the clash, the activists also vandalised a police car and set a motorcycle on fire, he said.
At around 11:00 am, BNP leaders and activists gathered near Lotus Chattar in Nangalkot Sadar to hold a rally. Awami League leaders and activists took positions in the railway station area of Nangalkot around the same time.
Several chases and counter-chases took place between the parties that left at least 25 people injured, added the officer.
Police fired several rounds of tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
Additional police forces have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble, he added.
In Dhaka’s Savar, police detained 20 BNP activists after law enforcers and opposition supporters locked into a clash over holding a rally.
Over 20 people, including 10 cops, were injured during the clash at Chayabithi in Savar municipality.
Savar police station officer-in-charge Kazi Moinul Islam said that the BNP had no permission to hold the rally. He said that police tried to stop the rally and then BNP activists attacked the police.
The police station’s inspector (operations), Nayan Karkan, said that they had detained 29 activists and continued their raids to arrest others.
The local authorities in Rangamati’s Juraichari upazila imposed restrictions on public assembly Wednesday to avert any untoward incident as both the political parties announced simultaneous rallies at the same venue.
At least 18 people were injured as the ruling Awami League and BNP activists locked into a clash over the BNP’s pre-scheduled programme at Netrakona’s Madan on Wednesday afternoon.
The clash took place at Shahpur Eidgah in the upazila.
Rafiqul Islam, BNP secretary of Madan unit, said that they gathered at the Eidgah for their central announced pre-scheduled programme. The ruling party supporters started gathering there in the afternoon to foil their rally.
The activists of both parties got involved in a clash at one point, leaving 18 people injured, police said.
Madan police station officer-in-charge Ferdous Alam said that BNP activists started hurling brickbats at them, leaving two cops injured.
New Age Feni correspondent reported that four activists of the BNP and its associate body, Juba Dal, were arrested on Tuesday night in two cases filed by the police over clashes that were sparked by the Awami League attack.
The opposition activists were arrested at Char Sahavikari and Sonapur in a police assault case and were sent to jail on Wednesday, said Sonagazi police station officer-in-charge Khalid Hossain.
The district unit BNP joint-convener Mohammad Alauddin said that police had been raiding the houses of the party leaders and activists and were harassing them.
Meanwhile, opposition activists on Wednesday staged a protest procession against the Awami League’s attack on the motorcade of the party’s senior leader and businessman Abdul Awal Mintoo.
The motorcade of Mintoo came under attack by Awami League activists on Tuesday while he was on his way to join a rally at Feni’s Daganbhuiyan.
At least 15 BNP activists were injured in the attack.