STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse a Jatiya Party rally outside its central office in Kakrail yesterday, forcing organisers to cancel the event.

The rally, called to demand withdrawal of cases against Chairman GM Quader and other leaders, release of detained activists, and an end to alleged attacks on the party, was scheduled to begin at 3:00pm.

Around 3:45pm, police moved in to clear the crowd, saying the organisers had blocked the road without permission. “The deputy commissioner asked them to leave, but they refused,” said Shah Mustafa Tarikuzzaman, assistant commissioner of DMP’s Ramna Division.

He said the situation was brought under control by 4:30pm. After the clash, the party office gate was locked, with police remaining deployed outside.

The Kakrail office was earlier vandalised and partially set on fire on September 6, following another attack on August 30.