At least 50 people were injured in a clash among the leaders and activists of BNP and Awami League and police duirng BNP’s march programme at Islampur road in Feni district town on Tuesday. Witnesses said, hundreds of BNP leaders and activists led by former MP VP Joynal brought out a procession as part of their party’s central march rally from Daudpur area in the district town. When the procession reached at Islampur road around 4 pm, police obstructed them. A chase and counter-chase took place among them. The BNP activists also hurled brick chips targeting police. BNP’s march: 50 hurt in clash with police in Bogura At one stage, a group of Awami League leaders and activists appeared there who were holding a peaceful rally near Feni Shaheed Minar, engaged into the clash. The whole area turned into a battle field. Later, police fired bullets and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse them. 50 people including 25 BNP leaders and activists were injured during the clash, said Sheikh Farid Uddin Bahar, convener of Feni District unit BNP. Police-BNP activists clash in Kishoreganj; several activists, journalists injured Four journalist including Mohona TV correspondent and Manabjamin correspondent were injured in the clash while taking footage of the clash. Zakir Hossain, superintendent of Feni police said, officer-in-charge of Feni Model Police Station and some policemen were injured during the clash. BNP activists, police clash in Pirojpur Additional police have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble.

Police charged baton and used water cannon to disperse supporters of the half-day hartal enforced by Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) protesting the price hike of daily essentials at Paltan intersection in the city on Monday. Riaz Montu, one of the hartal supporters, said, “We were staging demonstrations peacefully. But police charged baton on us around 12pm.” The half-day nationwide hartal enforced by Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) to protest the soaring prices of edible oil, other essential commodities and utility services ended at 12 pm. Also read: Hartal: 10 LDA men hurt in a clash with police in N’ganj Hartal supporters brought out processions in the city’s Paltan intersection and held sit-in programmes, halting the vehicular movement from Kakrail to GPO intersection and Press Club to Dainik Bangla intersection in the morning. Left-leaning leaders, students and activists also blocked Shahbagh intersection. Vehicular movement from Science Lab to Shahbagh, Farmgate to Shahbagh and Press Club to Shahbagh remained halted for several hours, causing severe gridlocks that also spread to other parts of the capital, said Assistant Commissioner (Traffic-Shahbagh) Md Nurun Nabi. Also read: Half-day hartal protesting price hike of essentials underway The hartal began at 6am and continued till 12pm. On March 11, the LDA called the nationwide half-day hartal.

At least 20 workers were injured on Monday during a clash with police in Gazipur as they demonstrated for extended Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. Police said the injured were sent to nearby hospitals and Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Eight of the injured workers – Mizanur Rahman, 24, Hasan, 26, Rubel, 22, Zahid Hossain, 25, Rony, 24, Mamun, 26, Sohel, 22, and Rubel Hossain, 24 – are being treated at the emergency ward of DMCH. Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police outpost, said all of them had been hit by rubber bullets. Also read: Workers cannot leave workplaces during Eid holidays: Monnujan Ha-meem Group declared a six-day Eid holiday for the workers on Sunday. But the workers started agitating on Monday demanding a 10-day holiday. They blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, causing a massive gridlock on the road. After about half an hour, members of industrial police and metropolitan police went to the scene. The workers refused to move from the highway, leading to a running battle. The agitators hurled brick chips at police and the law enforcers responded with rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters. Additional Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police Shushant Sarkar said the workers left the scene after the factory acceded to their demand for an extended holiday. But the workers claimed that the police attack was unprovoked. Mizanur Rahman, an injured worker, said police hit a worker in the head when he came out after a heated argument with the factory management over the holiday issue. Also read: Transport workers demand resumption of public transport, food assistance “Police fired on us as we gathered to question them over the assault,” said Mizanur.