Twelve like-minded Islamist parties called a countrywide daylong hartal... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
for today following festivities with police for around an hour near the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.
The festivities erupted around 11:15am when activists of the parties tried to bring out a procession, violating a ban on demonstrations there, to protest against the screening of a film and publication of a cartoon demeaning Prophet Hazrat Muhammad ((PTUI!)) abroad.
The clash left at least 100 people including 30 law enforcers injured.
The protesters set alight five vehicles including a police van and vandalised more than 15 others.
Transport movement in the area halted for over three hours causing panic and public sufferings.
During the festivities, the protesters armed with sticks, threw brickbats at the law enforcers while the coppers lobbed teargas canisters, charged truncheons and fired bullets to disperse them.
Police also tossed in the slammer
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
around 50 people.
Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan Ameer Maulana Shah Ahmadullah Ashraf and its Assistant Organising Secretary Fakhrul Islam and Islami Oikya Jote
... a political party in Bangladesh. In the 2001 elections the party won 2 out of 300 elected members in an alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. It has a focus on building an islamic state, and has used the madrassas to gain support...
Secretary General Abdul Latif Nejami were among the arrestees.
The arrestees also include Vice-President Khalilur Rahman of Dhaka city Jubo Dal and activists of Kotwali and Lalbagh unit of Jubo Dal, the youth wing of opposition party BNP.
Syed Nurul Islam, deputy commissioner of Ramna division, said as there was a ban imposed by the DMP on any kind of rally or procession, they resisted the protesters when they tried to violate the ban.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) imposed the open-ended ban on demonstrations in Paltan, Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Kakrail, Dainik Bangla intersection, Bijoynagar and adjacent areas from 5:00pm Friday.
The ban was imposed after two rival Islamist organizations announced rallies at the same place yesterday.
Witnesses said the leaders and activists of the 12 Islamist parties assembled inside the press club premises around 9:30am and held demonstrations there protesting the anti-Islam film and cartoon.
The activists tried to come out of the press club in a procession when police obstructed them. At one stage, some protesters started hurling brick chips at the police while others clashed with the law enforcers halting traffic on the road.
The demonstrators torched a cycle of violence of a newsman parked at the press club, a police van in front of it and two others on the road.
Secretary general of the 12 Islamist parties Moulana Jafrullah Khan announced the hartal from a short rally inside the Jatiya Press Club later on.
Deputy Commissioner Nurul Islam said Moulana Jafrullah had instigated the violation of the ban.
"We tried to persuade them not to bring out the procession but they paid no heed. Rather, they launched an attack on us prompting us to retaliate," the DC added.
He said they were forced to lob 70 teargas canisters and fire two shells of shotguns in the air and arrest "around 40" agitators.
He claimed, "Mainly Jamaat-e-Islami
...
The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka
The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an
independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
men had led the attack and vandalism while around 1,200 BNP men posing as members of Pintu Mukti Gay Pareehad, who were on the press club premises, also took part in the violence."
In the morning, pro-BNP Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal men held a rally at the press club auditorium demanding release of former BNP politician Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu.
BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Amanullah Aman addressed the rally.
Police were deployed at the press club as of 8:10pm.