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Removal of bridge over Crescent Lake protested

Police, BNP workers clash: Many hurt

By Staff Correspondent
Scores of people were Injured in a series of clashes between police and BNP supporters in and around the party central office at Naya Paltan in the city yesterday.
According to witnesses, the clashes took place when police tried to prevent the major opposition party from staging a rally to protest removal of a floating bridge on the Crescent Lake, leading to founder of the party late President Ziaur Rahman's mazar.
Police lobbed teargas shells blanketing the area with a massive cloud of smoke which made a number of people inside the BNP office sick.
Those who fell sick due to teargas included Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Jatiya Sangsad Prof Badruddoza Choudhury and city BNP Convenor Sadek Hossain Khoka.
Besides, three policemen were wounded in brickbatting by BNP workers, police sources said.
The trouble began when police took position on the stairs at different floors of the four storey BNP building housing the office at about 4 pm and the party leaders protested this.
Earlier police took position on the road adjacent to the BNP office and got inside it when the workers of the BNP and its front organisations were preparing to hold a protest rally against the removal of the floating bridge.
The bridge was removed late Wednesday night.
Following angry exchanges between the BNP leaders and police on the issue of entry of police personnel into the party offices, activists of the party chased the policemen out of the building. Soon after, clashes erupteain the BNP office area with police firing teargas shells and BNP activists brickbatting police.
Police lobbed teargas shells at the activists inside the BNP office and in the lanes and bylanes around It. The activists threw brickbats and exploded crackers.
Several hundred party leaders and workers were trapped Inside the BNP office at the time.
Later clashes spread all over the area from Kakrail to Fakir-erpool, halting traffic movement on the Inner Circular Road and forcing closure of shops and business establishments. Panic prevailed in the locality.
Earlier, the agitated BNP activists damaged some vehicles plying through the area, witnesses said
Pitched battles between the police and BNP workers continued for several hours and the situation there remained tense till 8 pm.
BNP chief and Leader of the Opposition in Jatlya Sangsad Begum Khaleda Zia reached the party office in the evening when tear gas smoke still clouded the party office and Its surrounding areas.
She later addressed a hurriedly called press conference to condemn the police action. She also announced a three-day demonstration programme from today.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in a press release said BNP leaders
and workers started preparing for a public rally on the road in front of the party office, without taking permission from the Dhaka City Corporation. They also set up a public address system there.
The leaders turned down the police request not to hold the rally without permission and for the sake of normal movement of vehicular traffic and misbehaved with the policemen on duty, the press release added.
Ai one stage, it added. BNP activists there started pelting brickbats and exploding cocktails and petrol bombs, stored In the BNP office. In the incident, a police surgeon and two constables were injured. In such a situation, police was forced to intervene to bring the situation under control.
Police picked up 22 persons from the spot, the DMP said. It urged all concerned to refrain from holding public gatherings on the city streets.