Four die in Paltan violence

Dhaka, October 28, (bdnews24.com) – At least four people were killed and more than 300 others were injured Saturday after Awami League supporters clashed with the police and Jamaat activists in Dhaka in one of the most violent days in five years. The clashes started when the AL supporters tried to remove the barbed-wire fences the police put up on the Paltan road to stop opposition protests. Our senior correspondents Farid Ahmed, Abu Sufian and Kailash Sarker saw the police fire bullets and rubber bullets into protesters in Paltan to contain violence. BDR personnel joined forces with the police at the heart of the city to control the situation around the Baitul Mukarram Mosque. A mob beat a Jamaat activist dead in front of Pritom Hotel. The 30-year-old was identified as Manir Hossain, but the second man who died in the same Paltan clashes could not be immediately known. A 24-year-old Jamaat supporter, Jasim, died in hospital after he was wounded in a burst of violence near the Baitul Mukarram Mosque. Another political activist named Russel died at about 6:30pm. Two journalists were among the injured: AFP photographer Farzana Godhuli and Ntv cameraman Milu, who were there to cover the opposition protests. At about 12:30pm, AL activists and Jamaat supporters clashed at Baitul Mukarram Mosque's north gate. Paltan turned into a battlefield as Awami League activists clashed with the police Saturday in the final hours to power handover by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. bdnews24.com/fa/ast/ks/sr/ad/1634 hours