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30 injured as cops club Jamaat men
 Police charged batons at a rally of Jamaat-e-Islami at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque in the capital, leaving at least 30 Jamaat workers injured. Witnesses said police resorted to baton charge when Jamaat and Shibir activists tried to come out of the mosque premises after completing their rally ignoring police request and breaking the Emergency Power Rules (EPR) at about 4:30pm.Around five thousands of Jamaat workers gathered on the mosque premises around 4:00pm as part of the party's countrywide protest programme demanding release of detained Jamaat leaders Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and BNP leader M Saifur Rahman. The road from Paltan crossing to Dainik Bangla was blocked for about an hour causing huge sufferings to the commuters. However, Jamaat publicity secretary Tasnim Alam claimed that around 100 activists were injured in police beating at the rally that was organised by Jamaat Dhaka city unit. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police for Motijheel area AKM Nahidul Islam told reporters that some unruly activists tried to occupy the road illegally and police just charged batons to disperse them. Meanwhile, a press release of police headquarters said lifting ban on political meeting and procession by the government was misinterpreted and the political parties were violating the EPR unexpectedly. The release urged all to obey the law and refrain from such political programmes. Jamaat Dhaka city unit secretary Hamidur Rahman Azad told reporters that they were holding the rally peacefully to protest the arrest of BNP and Jamaat leaders and to demand their release but police attacked them without any provocation. Speaking at the meeting, Jamaat leaders alleged that the arrest of BNP and Jamaat leaders was a plot to keep the four-party out of the upcoming polls. Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Mohammad Kamaruzzaman was the chief guest at the rally, which was presided over by Jamaat Dhaka city unit Ameer Rafiqul Islam Khan. Meanwhile, our correspondents from Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet and Pabna reported that Jamaat and Shibir activists held rallies demanding release of the detained BNP and Jamaat leaders. Posted by: Fred 2008-11-12 |
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