Several injured as BCL activists clash with police in Chittagong

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists have clashed with police while demanding a halt to construction work of the Chittagong Outer Stadium Swimming Pool.

At least 30 including policemen were injured in the back-to-back clashes that continued for almost an hour on Tuesday afternoon, said CMP Deputy Police Commissioner (South) Mostain Hossain.

The fighting began during a blockade and rally organised by the ruling Awami League's student front at the port city’s Kazir Dewri intersection.

Several cars were also vandalised at that time. Some BCL activists have been detained after police fired from shotguns to disperse the group.  

Three BCL leaders received bullet shots, said Nurul Azim Rony, BCL general secretary in Chittagong.

They were, BCL city committee's joint secretaries Amitabh Chodhury Babu, Golam Samdani Jony and presidium member Liton Chowdhury Rinku. Another 15 activists have been injured, he said. 

“We have been protesting to save the playground,” he told reporters. “Our protest was announced in advance. But police attacked us unjustly,” said Rony.

He demanded that immediate action should be taken against police ‘perpetrators’.

Deputy police commissioner Mostain told bdnews24.com that "the BCL activists were allowed to hold a rally at Kazir Dewri square though they did not have any permission, but they attacked police and entered swimming pool area.”

The swimming pool is being constructed adjacent to the MA Aziz Stadium under the auspices of Chittagong District Sports Council. City Mayor AZM Nasir Uddin is the general secretary of the council.

On the other hand, former Mayor Mohiuddin Ahmed Chowdhury helps organise a fair at the outer stadium every year in December ​to celebrate the victory in the independence war.

The difference of opinion over holding tax and shifting of the fish landing station between to ruling party leaders raised the ‘political temperature’ in the port city for the last couple of weeks.

Tuesday’s Kazir Dewari incident came just a day after two leaders had shared the same stage and announced their unity.

Earlier, on Apr 10, at a rally at the Laldighi Maidan, Mohiuddin Chowdhury gave a 15-day ultimatum to stop construction work in the swimming pool. But, the sports council started the construction of the pool about a week ago.

Later, t​​he ​local BCL president and general secretary who are known to be the followers of Mohiuddin Chowdhury handed over a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner giving a 48-hour ultimatum to remove the construction materials from the site.

They gathered at the Kazir Dewari square on Tuesday to press home their demand.