Homes of Ahmadiya neighborhood set ablaze in Bangladesh, 1 killed, 50 injured

Protesters demonstrated towards a three-day jalsa organised by the neighborhood in Bangladesh’s Panchagarh district and clashed with the police after Friday prayers.

Protesters set fireplace to tyres and houses of the Ahmadiya neighborhood

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: In Bangladesh’s northern district of Panchagarh, the Ahmadiyya neighborhood’s annual jalsa changed into an enormous protest web site with incidents of vandalism and arson, sparking demonstrations by the native Sunni Muslim neighborhood. The jalsa was purported to be a three-day occasion and in the present day was the primary day.

The Sadar police station’s office-in-charge, Abdul Latif Miah, stated that the clashes started when the protesters got here to the Chowrangi junction after Friday prayers.

“I heard about vandalism and arson in Ahmednagar. Fire services and civil defense personnel were rushed to the spot and they brought the fire under control,” Latif Miah stated.

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District Superintendent of Police, SM Sirajul Huda, advised reporters that as of this night, the scenario was regular within the metropolis and that the police try to manage the scenario.

Meanwhile, 17 platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed within the space together with extra police personnel.

According to the police and the locals, a number of organizations protested within the city on Thursday, demanding the jalsa be cancelled. They blocked the roads and stopped site visitors within the space.

Following the Friday prayers in the present day, folks from totally different mosques gathered on the Chowrangi intersection in small teams and took out a joint procession.

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Security was beefed up forward of this march and police personnel have been deployed to stop any form of regulation and order scenario.

However, the police stopped the procession because the protesters clashed with them, Latif Miah stated.

Several protesters and policemen have been injured within the clashes, the police stated. “The protestors went to the town’s Takkamara space and set fireplace to the site visitors police workplace,” they stated.

“The police and BGB vehicles were also damaged in the attack. The police fired a few tear gas shells to bring the situation under control,” they added.

Eyewitnesses stated that retailers belonging to the Ahmadiyya neighborhood have been vandalized at a market within the Panchagarh Bazar space. Later, items have been taken out of those retailers and burnt on the streets.

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Several retailers within the metropolis remained shut after panic unfold. People’s motion within the metropolis additionally lowered. The protesters set fireplace to tires on totally different roads and burnt down a number of homes in Ahmadiya Nagar on the outskirts of the town within the afternoon.

Senior law enforcement officials, together with the Superintendent of Police, rushed to the spot to convey the scenario below management.

Abdul Rahim, an area journalist, stated that many individuals from the Ahmadiyya neighborhood reside within the space and over 10 homes have been vandalized and set afire. Many folks have fled and brought shelter elsewhere with their households, Rahim stated.

ONE KILLED, 50 INJURED

One man, recognized as Arifur Rahman (28), was killed within the clashes between the police and the protesters. Rahman is a resident of the Masjidpara space of Panchagarh municipality. He was the supervisor of a printing press within the metropolis. His household claimed that he was returning dwelling after providing prayers when he was caught within the crosshair.

At least 50 folks, together with 9 policemen, have been injured. The police have made a number of arrests within the case.

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Published On:

Mar 3, 2023