One killed in Jamaat protest against death sentence in Bangladesh

September 19, 2013 04:01 am | Updated November 16, 2021 10:26 pm IST - DHAKA:

At least one person was killed and scores injured in attacks by the Jamaat-e-Islami activists who enforced a country-wide hartal on Wednesday to protest the death sentence handed over to one of their key leaders for crimes against humanity during the 1971 war.

Militant activists from Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir opened fire on police personnel in Satkania, Chittagong, badly injuring a policeman. They also reportedly attacked police camps and law enforcers on duty in several parts of the country.

A three-wheeler driver was killed when protesters threw stones at him in Noakhali.

Jamaat-e-Islami had announced a 48-hour country-wide shutdown on Tuesday, hours after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by its Assistant Secretary General and war-crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla and sentenced him to death. Mollah is known as “butcher of Mirpur” for his role in the 1971 war. He was responsible for genocide, mass rape, looting and abduction of unarmed civilians.

Major clashes took place in Satkhira, a Jamaat stronghold, in Chittagong and northern Rajshahi. In some areas, the fought running battles with police. Protesters vandalised vehicles, blocked highways and resorted to indiscriminate bomb blasts. Police fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear-gas shells to disperse them. In Dhaka, the party supporters took out processions in some areas before police intervened.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.