For the past three days, hardline religious parties have been protesting against the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh.
Dhaka … News Time
One youth was killed and dozens were injured in clashes between protesters and police in Bangladesh on Monday, officials said. According to the French news agency AFP, for the past three days, hardline religious parties have been protesting against the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh. Protesters, most of them from the hardline religious party Jamaat-e-Hifazat-e-Islam, are expressing outrage at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Protesters accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of inciting sectarian violence against Muslims. Five people were killed in clashes on Friday and six on Saturday. A 19-year-old man who died on Sunday died at a hospital in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria. Ariful Haq Mridul, a government official in the Sarail area of Chittagong, told AFP that two other people were also feared dead. Ariful Haq Mridul added that about 3,000 supporters and villagers of Jamaat-e-Hifazat-e-Islam in Sarail took part in the protest, blocking the road.
Bangladesh Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has called for an end to the protests, saying “our security forces are watching the situation with restraint.” “If it is not stopped, we will take necessary action,” he added. Protests also took place in Narayanganj outside the capital Dhaka. Hundreds of protesters burned furniture and tires on the road. He chanted slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded that the authorities investigate the police firing on protesters. Police used tear gas and fired rubber bullets at protesters on to the road. The country’s largest Bengali newspaper, Prothom Alo, says 15 people have been injured in clashes in Narayanganj.
At least 10 people were injured when supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir attacked a train from Dhaka to Chittagong, Bangladesh’s largest English newspaper The Daily Star reported. Jakaria Noman Foyezi, a spokeswoman for Hifazat-e-Islam, told AFP that thousands of its supporters had taken part in the protests in Hathazari. Jamaat-e-Hifazat-e-Islam is known for its national network and large-scale nationwide demonstrations to enforce the blasphemy law in the country. In 2013, Jamaat-e-Hifazat-e-Islam supporters clashed with police in Dhaka, killing at least 50 people. Protests also took place in northeastern Sylhet and Bosila, but no violence was reported. Apart from Hifazat-e-Islam, various groups including students, leftist parties and a number of Islamic groups are protesting against Modi’s visit. He accuses Narendra Modi and his government of spreading religious hatred in India and inciting violence against Muslims.
