At least 25 people including seven policemen were injured Sunday in clashes between hartal supporters and the law enforcers in Habiganj and Sylhet during the nationwide hartal enforced by Hefajat-e-Islam.
Hefajat called the general strike protesting the killing of its activists and the "attack on them by ruling party men" Friday during anti-Modi demonstrations in Dhaka, Chattogram and other districts.
In Habiganj's Ajmiriganj upazila, picketers locked into an argument with policemen as they were conducting patrols. At one stage, hundreds of villagers and Hefajat supporters started attacking law enforcers with domestic weapons and brick chips, the locals said.
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Seven policemen including Ajmiriganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nurul Islam were injured in the clash. The hartal supporters also vandalised a pick-up van and torched two motorcycles of police.
To take control of the situation, police fired 33 rounds of rubber bullets and hurdled brick chips towards the protesters.
OC Nurul Islam said, "Calm prevails now. However, additional law enforcers have been deployed at the spot. Of the seven injured policemen, sub-inspectors Polwel and Mujibur were admitted to the local hospital."
Also read: Hartal: 30 hurt during clash with cops in Narayanganj
Meanwhile, four teenagers were detained from Sylhet city during a clash between Hefajat activists and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men.
Five including two BCL men were "injured in the clash," Sylhet Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Ajbahar Ali Sheikh said.