Jamaat, allies strike terror
4 killed, around thousand injured in attacks from mosques; Shaheed Minars vandalised, national flag torn following false claim over 'insult to Islam' by Shahbagh bloggers; hartal tomorrow
In a countrywide reign of terror, Jamaat-e-Islami and its sympathisers yesterday attacked law enforcers and journalists, burned the national flag and vandalised Shaheed Minars to counter the mass demand for capital punishment to 1971 war criminals.
They chose mosques as gathering points and launched attacks with handmade bombs, guns, and sticks, leaving at least four persons killed and nearly 1,000 people including 14 journalists wounded.
In what appears to be the culmination of a cleverly orchestrated smear campaign, the Jamaat and its adherents branded the Shahbagh protesters as atheists and tried to use Juma prayers to whip up religious sentiments against them.
Gonojagoron Manchas -- from where demands are being made for capital punishment to war criminals -- became their targets of vandalism in Chittagong, Feni, Chandpur, Rajshahi, Bogra, Sirajganj, Joypurhat, Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Pabna.
Jamaat and its student body Islami Chhatra Shibir carried out the attacks under the banner of 12 Islamist parties.
They chanted slogans against the organisers of the Shahbagh movement, which has been calling for capital punishment to all war criminals and a ban on Jamaat-Shibir.
Jamaat and some like-minded radical Islamist parties had earlier announced nationwide demonstrations after yesterday's Juma prayers for punishment to the bloggers.
They torched the national flag in Chandpur and Bogra, and vandalised Shaheed Minar in Feni and Sylhet, and Awami League office in Kurigram. They attacked law enforcers in other districts, including Jhenidah, Patuakhali, Pabna and Joypurhat.
Police fired hundreds of teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the attackers. Dozens of people, including journalists, were hit by bullets during the clashes.
Of the four dead, two were killed in Gaibandha, one in Sylhet and another in Jhenidah. The person killed during clashes in Jhenidah was identified as Abdus Salam, a madrasa teacher.
Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir said Jamaat-Shibir carried out the attacks across the country in a planned way. He said none of the attackers would be spared.
Police have detained 172 attackers in Dhaka and other districts. Additional law enforcers have been deployed across the country to ward off further violence.
Eight Islamist parties led by Khelafat Andolon yesterday called a dawn-to-dusk hartal for tomorrow and countrywide demonstrations for Monday to protest the police attack on them and for punishment to Shahbagh protesters.
In the capital, Jamaat activists took position inside the Baitul Mukarram national mosque much before Juma prayers and started hurling brickbats at the law enforcers. They later attacked the journalists there.
They snatched the microphone from the Imam and started giving provocative slogans. They also barred the Khatib from delivering Khutba, said witnesses.
The fanatics also circulated copies of the offensive advertisements that Hefazat-e-Islam took out on three newspapers recently to stir up religious sentiments against the Shahbagh youths.
They even set fire to prayer mats inside the mosque around 2:15pm, and later claimed that the police had set those alight, said witnesses.
Vehicular movement on the roads near Baitul Mukarram remained suspended for hours following the clashes.
In Rajshahi city, Jamaat-Shibir activists clashed with police at different points, leaving around 50 people, including 10 policemen, injured.
In Bogra, they launched attacks on police prompting the law enforcers to fire at least 200 shots and teargas shells. More than 50 people, including nine policemen, were wounded in the clashes.
More than 70 people were injured in clashes in Sylhet. At least 20 of them were hit by bullets.
In Patuakhali, at least 35 people, including three policemen, were injured in clashes.
CHAOS AT NATIONAL MOSQUE
Supporters of Jamaat and some Islamist parties gathered in front of the mosque before Juma prayers. Instead of offering prayers, they attacked police and journalists with sticks and brickbats.
When the Imam was making preparations for Juma prayers, they chanted slogans in front of the mosque, demanding punishment to the Shahbagh youths terming them atheists.
They then marched towards the Jatiya Press Club at about 1:25pm, vandalised an arch in front of the Workers' Party office, and attacked police and journalists.
They beat up camera persons of different TV channels, photographers of several newspapers and some reporters of both electronic and print media. Some of them are receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical Colleague Hospital.
When they got close to the Jatiya Press Club, the law enforcers deployed at Paltan and Dainik Bangla intersection fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets to disperse them.
Being chased by police, they moved towards the Matsya Bhaban intersection and fought pitched battles with law enforcers.
As a small group of attackers marched towards Shahbagh, police chased them and fired bullets and teargas shells from armoured vehicles to disperse them.
The Jamaat men vandalised dozens of vehicles and attacked police with hand-made bombs and brickbats.
When police brought the situation under control near the Jatiya Press Club, Matsya Bhaban and Paltan areas, Jamaat-Shibir activists took shelter inside the national mosque and started hurling bombs and brickbats at police.
Police and Rab personnel kept the mosque surrounded for an hour and asked those inside the mosque to come out peacefully.
The attackers holed up in the mosque repeatedly chanted slogans against police, the Shahbagh youths, journalists and the government.
A group of ruling party men gathered in front of Awami League's central office on the Bangabandhu Avenue and brought out a procession. They chased some Jamaat-Shibir men out of the area.
The situation there became normal after Asr prayers.
On Thursday, the government decided to allow Islamist parties to bring out peaceful processions.
Jamaat, allies strike terror