Jamaat regrouping in Dhaka!

Police say militant activists of Jamaat-e-Islami are converging on capital Dhaka from around Bangladesh as sporadic clashes occurred in some of the parts of the city.

They fought with police at the commercial district of Motijheel and “provoked” the law-enforcers in some other places in the capital, police said.

The Jamaat-e-Islami are mobilising activists in Dhaka to foment trouble, police said on Wednesday.

This follows the mayhem unleashed by Jamaat supporters in parts of the capital on Tuesday.

Police on Wednesday nabbed 34 people from Sadarghat launch terminal at around 5:30am on suspicion of linked to the Jamaat and its student affiliate, Islami Chhatra Shibir.

Several other Shibir activists were nabbed from Motijheel, said Motijheel Police Station officials.

The Jamaat and Shibir activists started off the morning with acts of vandalism at Motijheel, Shapla Chattar and Paltan areas of Dhaka, Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Anwar Hossain told bdnews24.com.

The fresh attempts come after the Islamist party unleashed mayhem on Tuesday afternoon by shooting at police, blasting crude bombs and damaging about 50 vehicles at Kawran Bazar and Motijheel in Dhaka.

At least 25 people, including three policemen were injured in the clash. Police had said 72 Jamaat-Shibir activists were nabbed after the violence.

Police fired in the air to thwart the Jamaat sponsored violence on Wednesday morning, said Additional Deputy Commissioner Mehedi Hassan.

Security measures were heightened in Paltan, Baitul Mokaram, Fakirapool and Motijheel areas, he said.

A bus was set on fire near the Police Hospital at Dainik Bangla intersection around 10:00am,  a Fire Service Control Room official said. But it was soon controlled by fire fighters.

Meanwhile, Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abu Bakar Siddique told bdnews24.com that Jamaat were mobilising their activists in Dhaka. “Police have information… Jamaat-Shibir activists are gathering in Dhaka from southern areas of the country.”

The Jamaat activists were also arriving in buses from several other districts, he said. “They were organising themselves through short messages on the mobile phone.”

The Islamist party, known for its opposition to the Bengali cause for freedom, have unleashed considerable violence throughout Bangladesh in recent months to back their demands for abolition of war crimes tribunals and release of their top leaders.