Chhatra League attacks police station

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists have assailed the Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station after one of their members was arrested.

Officer-in-Charge Mahbubur Rahman said BCL men attacked the police station around 6:30pm Friday leading to a clash with the police that lasted for almost an hour. Due to the clash the Cox’s Bazar main road was closed till 9:30pm.

Eyewitnesses said police had fired shots, injuring Awami League’s municipal unit President Mujibur Rahman and another person.

BCL leaders have refused to comment.

Mahbubur Rahman said a BCL man named ‘Himu’ was arrested for physically assaulting a traffic sergeant who had stopped him at a checkpoint in Laldighi around 5:30pm. Himu also failed to produce proper documents of his motorcycle.

“BCL district unit President Ali Ahmed and a group of his men came to the station and argued and fought with the officers there,” the OC said.

“Then they left the station and began vandalising vehicles on the road. At one point they brought a large procession to the station and started throwing things.”

Rahman said the BCL men also vandalised the nearby traffic police office and the police barracks.

Eyewitnesses said local Awami League President Mujibur Rahman and some other leaders went to the place and tried to calm the situation with little success.

At one point police opened fire and dispersed the BCL men.

Mujibur Rahman and another person were slightly injured in the incident, OC Rahman said. They were sent to hospital.

BCL men were seen randomly vandalising vehicles at various places across the town at the time of filing this report.

Huge contingents of policemen were deployed at major points in the town.

BCL President Ali Ahmed refused to comment when contacted. General Secretary Abu Taher Azad did not pick up his phone.