Locals clash with Gazipur police during ‘narcotics raid’

Locals in Gazipur have clashed with police during a raid to 'seize narcotics'.

The incident occurred on Friday night in the Darhparha area of Kaliganj, said Additional Superintendent of Police Pankaj Dutta.

The raid was conducted after police received a tip-off about drugs in a house in that area, he told bdnews24.com.

At one point during the raid a group of drug addicts locked three police personnel in a room and cried out for help against ‘robbers’, he said.

“Violence erupted after a heated exchange of words between police and the locals. The locals attacked with sticks and injured a few police personnel. Additional police reinforcements arrived in the area and used blank rounds and batons to bring the situation under control.”

Five plainclothes police forced their way into her home, said local resident Mina Cruz. They said they were from the police station, she said.

“But they were not wearing their uniforms and refused to show their identification, so we cried out for help against robbers. When locals gathered, the police locked themselves into a room.”

Police then used unnecessary violence, including batons and bullets, to disperse the locals, Mina claimed.