Published : 15 Aug 2023, 10:48 PM
Updated : 15 Aug 2023, 10:48 PM
A man has died in clashes between supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami leader and war crimes convict Delwar Hossain Sayedee and police who tried to stop them from holding his funeral prayer in absentia in Cox’s Bazar.
At least 18 other people, including police officers, were injured in the clashes at Lamar Chiringa in Chakaria town on Tuesday afternoon.
The Jamaat activists vandalised shops and vehicles during the clashes.
Syed Iftekharul Islam, a doctor at Chakaria Upazila Health Complex, said eight injured people were brought to the facility and one of them, an elderly person with injuries from shotgun pellets, was dead.
Md Mahfuzul Islam, superintendent of police, claimed the law enforcers baton-charged, but did not open fire after the Jamaat activists attacked police.
Locals identified the dead man as Forkanul Islam, 65, a resident of the town.
Mahfuzul said police stopped the Jamaat supporters from holding Sayedee’s funeral prayer in absentia on the playground of a government primary school because they did not have permission for the gathering.
Sayedee’s supporters then moved to the Chiringa area and held the funeral prayer.
They left the place in procession afterwards.
At one stage of the demonstration, the Jamaat activists started to vandalise shops, said Mahfuzul.
“They attacked the police when we tried to stop them. They also vandalised government vehicles.”
A group of masked men opened fire at that time, according to him.
“It’s unclear how the person died and by whose shot. It’ll be clear after investigation,” he said.
Mahfuzul also said police launched an operation to identify and arrest those who attacked the law enforcers.
