Bhola, Oct 21 (UNB) – The local administration imposed an indefinite ban on public gathering in the district on Monday, a day after clashes between protesters and police left four people dead.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Masud Alam Siddique told UNB that the move was aimed at maintaining law and order.

“It’ll remain effective until further notice,” he said.

Meanwhile, the district bus owners association stopped intra-district operation from 6am citing security reasons, its Organising Secretary Shafiqul Islam told UNB.

Maulana Ataur Rahman, secretary of Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Bhola unit, said they plan to hold a pre-announced public gathering later in the day under the banner of All Party Muslim Unity Council.

Also read: 4 killed in Bhola clash ‘over Facebook post’

Members of law enforcement and border guard troopers were patrolling the town to prevent any untoward incident.

More than 200 people were injured in Sunday’s clash in Borhanuddin upazila – many of them suffered gunshot wounds.

Police and locals said messages containing derogatory remarks about Allah and Prophet Muhammad were sent to several persons from the Facebook ID of Biplob Chandra Shuvo. Screenshots of the messages went viral on Facebook, triggering condemnation and protests.

Md Enamul Haque, officer-in-charge of Borhanuddin Police Station, said Biplob came to them on Saturday to file a general diary claiming that his Facebook account had been hacked. Two suspected hackers were detained.

Sylhet, Oct 21 (UNB) – Bangladesh’s national fish Hilsa, thought to be found only in southern rivers of the country and the Bay of Bengal, was caught from the Surma River on Sunday to the surprise of many.

But it is not the presence of the fish in the river that was surprising, it is fish’s size. Fishermen caught six Hilsa in the afternoon and one of them weighed more than 2kg.

“We haven’t caught Hilsa of this size before from Surma,” said Hamid Uddin, the fisherman.

Dwijraj Barman, Sylhet Sadar Upazila fisheries officer, said the Hilsa caught in Surma is not the kind generally found in sea but it is of a local species.

Hilsa had previously been caught in Chengerkhal River in the district. In the last monsoon, fishermen in Hakaluki haor caught plenty of Hilsa. The fish is sometimes netted by fishermen in the Surma River too.

The government imposed a 22-day ban on catching, selling, storing and transporting Hilsa from on October 9 to 31 to ensure safe spawning of the national fish during its peak breeding period.

Dhaka, Oct 20 (UNB) – Police arrested two Indian citizens in Chattogram and Tangail districts on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

In Chattogram, police recovered 20,000 yaba pills from a microbus and arrested five people, including an Indian woman, at Nasirabad area of the city.

ASP Tareq Aziz of Rab-7 said they stopped the microbus acting on a tip-off. The Indian was identified as Komol Kar, 28, hailing from Nanakmatha of Uttarakhand.

Others arrested from the microbus are - Rozina Begum, 52, her daughter Naima Begum, 28 of Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area; Shahnaz Begum, 50, and her daughter Sumaiya Islam, 21, of Munshiganj’s Bikrampur.

Rab said the women are members of an international drugs smuggling gang.

In Tangail, police arrested Indian citizen Rajesh Kumar, 22, son of Buddha Prasad of Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested from Sakhipur Upazila after he had failed to show his passport on Saturday night.

Amir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shakhipur Police Station, said Rajesh was arrested from Nager Chala in the upazila for intruding the country.

A case was filed against him in this regard.

Chattogram, Oct 20 (UNB) – Madrasah students on Sunday attacked Hathazari police station after four people were killed and over 200 others injured in a clash between police and locals in Borhanuddin upazila over a ‘Facebook post’ hurting the religious sentiment.
 
Md Towhidul Islam, officer-in-charge (investigation), said, “Madrasah students threw brickbats at the police station but nobody was injured.”

 
Witnesses said madrasah  students started demonstrations around 5:30 pm and threw brickbats at the police station and also blocked  Chattogram-Rangamati road for an hour.
 
Hathazari Madrasah authorities asked the students through loudhailers to go back as  they have no decision to stage demonstrations today, sources said.

 
However, all the shops remained shut in the area.
 
Contacted over mobile phone, the OC of Hathazari Police Station hanged the phone saying, “Busy now,  will speak to you later.”

Bhola, Oct 20 (UNB) – Four people were killed and about 200 others were injured on Sunday in a clash between police and demonstrating locals in Borhanuddin upazila, demanding punishment of a youth for allegedly hurting religious sentiments on Facebook.

Dr Abul Kalam Azad, medical officer of Bhola Sadar Hospital, named the deceased as Mizan, Mahfuz Patwari, Shaheen and Mahbub Patwari. 

Police said two of them had been hit in their heads with blunt weapons.

Thirty people, who suffered gunshot wounds, were admitted to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, said Dr Abul Hasnat Russell of the hospital’s emergency department.

They were hospitalised between 1:30pm and 5pm, he added.

Police and locals said messages containing derogatory remarks about Allah and Prophet Muhammad were sent to several persons from the Facebook ID of Biplob Chandra Shuvo. Screenshots of the messages went viral on Facebook, triggering condemnation and protests.

Md Enamul Haque, officer-in-charge of Borhanuddin Police Station, said Biplob came to them on Saturday to file a general diary claiming that his Facebook account had been hacked.

“Biplob claimed the hackers had demanded money from him over phone,” he said, adding that two persons – Hasnine Sharif and Shakil – were detained over the hacking.

Bhola police chief Sarkar Mohammad Kaisar said they held a meeting with locals, public representatives, Imams and Islamic scholars who had promised not to go ahead with Sunday’s protest programme.

But preparations to hold the programme were underway, prompting police to visit the scene, the SP said.

“When we were leaving the place after the rally, some people started throwing brick chips at us, forcing us to take shelter in an adjoining building and fire blank shots,” the SP said.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Shafiqur Rahman blamed “outsiders” for the clash, saying that there has been no report so far to indicate the public were armed.

Constable Arif, who suffered a gunshot wound during the clash, is currently being treated at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka, he said.

Meanwhile, one platoon of border guards was sent to the spot by helicopter while three more platoons were on their way by road, said Md Shariful Islam, public relations officer at Border Guard Bangladesh headquarters. 

That would be in addition to the platoon dispatched by the Coast Guard already deployed at the spot, said Lt Hayat-Ibne-Siddique, media officer at Coast Guard headquarters. 

Protest rally called; probe bodies formed

A protest rally was called for Monday at Bhola Government High School under the banner of All Party Muslim Unity Council, said Maulana Ataur Rahman, secretary of Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Bhola unit. 

He said a meeting was held with the authorities at Borhanuddin Police Station at night where they demanded justice for the victims, compensation to their families, and steps against the perpetrators. 
 

Local parliamentarian Ali Azam said the families of the victims will receive financial assistance.

Barishal Divisional Commissioner Md Yamin Chowdhury said a three-member investigation committee was formed to look into the incident. 

The committee has been asked to file a report within three working days.

In a statement, police headquarters said it formed a five-member committee, headed by the Barishal range DIG. Representatives from police headquarters, Special Branch, PBI and district police will be included in it.

The committee has been asked file its report within seven working days.