Police have filed two cases following Monday’s violent clashes with the activists of 12 Islamist parties who alleged that the bloggers associated with the Shahbag movement are ‘defaming Islam’.At least 50 people, including policemen and journalists, were injured in the clash.
The cases were filed at the Kishoreganj Model Police Station on Tuesday morning. One of the cases was filed under the Speedy Trial Act and the other for attacking law enforcers and obstructing the police from carrying out its duties.
SI Imran Hasan filed the case under the Speedy Trial Act accusing 21 identified and ‘many’ unidentified individuals. Seven people were shown arrested in the case.
The second case was filed by SI Salahuddin with the names of 41 accused and many others as anonymous. A total of 14 were shown as arrested in the case.
The 21 accused arrested in the two cases were produced before the Magistrate’s Court in Kishoreganj on Tuesday noon before the judge ordered them to be sent to prison, OC Mir Mosharraf Hossain of Kishoreganj Model Police Station said.
A former BNP MP Kabir Uddin, who also served as Company Commander in the Liberation War, was severely injured by tear gas shells and rubber bullets during the clash with the police on Monday.
More than a hundred people were trapped inside a mosque after clashes after the prayers on Monday, he later told reporters. The former lawmaker claimed that he sustained injuries as the police fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas shells.
Supporters of Khelafat Majlish and Islami Shashontantra among others had gathered in front of the town’s ‘Shahidi Mosque’ in protest against alleged defamation of Prophet Muhammad. They hurled shoes and pelted brick-bats at the police when they tried to resist the protesters.
Police fired 30 rounds of rubber bullets and 20 rounds of tear gas shells to stop the protesters, with the law enforcers claiming that they did so in self-defence.
Witnesses said that the police on Monday were joined by activists of the Chhatra League, Juba League – both affiliates of the ruling Awami League, and those associated with the ‘Ganajagaran Mancha’.
