Bombs exploded as hundreds of people were paying respects to the language movement martyrs at the Shaheed Minar in Jessore past midnight.
Published : 21 Feb 2016, 08:48 AM
The explosions led to panic among those who had turned up to pay respects at the Jessore Shaheed Minar and those assembled ran helter skelter.
A section of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the ruling Awami League’s student front, has been held responsible for the explosions.
Police said a group opposed to Jessore MP Kazi Nabil Ahmed was behind the explosions.
But no one was injured and neither has any arrests been made so far.
But the explosions ruined the sombre early dawn atmosphere on 'Amar Ekushey' (Feb 21) in Jessore.
Rival ruling party factions are trading charges over the explosions.
Some eyewitnesses blamed BCL’s Jessore district unit General Secretary Anwar Hossain Bipul and his supporters for the explosions.
Additional Superintendent of Police AKM Ariful Haque said that a group opposed to the MP started a ruckus when the lawmaker, deputy commissioner and superintendent of police were paying tribute.
A scuffle broke out and five to six bombs were hurled when police fired in the air as well as lobbed tear-gas canisters to bring the situation under control, he said.
But Bipul's supporters said Kazi Nabil's supporters had lobbed the locally-made bombs to cause panic and blame their factional rivals.