Jamaat claims 15-20 injured in Dhaka protest clash; police say only one hurt

A protest organized by Jamaat-e-Islami in Dhaka's Gulistan area on Saturday led to conflicting accounts of injuries, with the party alleging a significant attack and police downplaying the incident.

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Local Jamaat leaders and activists organised the procession in protest against extortion and illegal occupation following requests from traders. As traders gathered in front of the BRTC counter at Fulbaria, BNP leaders and activists attacked them.

Jamaat's assistant publicity secretary, Abdus Sattar Sumon, claimed that local BNP activists attacked their procession with knives, iron rods, and sticks. He alleged that BNP activists are involved in extortion and illegal occupation in the area and recently took control of Nagar Plaza Market. Sumon stated that 15 to 20 Jamaat activists and traders were injured, with three requiring hospitalization for stab wounds.

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After the committee took over responsibility for the market, they started spreading propaganda that the market had been illegally occupied.

However, Bangshal Police Station Officer-in-Charge AKM Mahfuzul Haque presented a different narrative. He said a committee recently formed to oversee the market, with members backed by Jamaat, had been spreading propaganda about illegal occupation. Haque reported that around 20-25 Jamaat supporters gathered, possibly for a meeting, while approximately 200 BNP supporters were present. A brief scuffle occurred, resulting in minor injuries to one Jamaat activist, but police denied any knowledge of stabbings or multiple casualties.

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At one stage, a brief scuffle occurred between the two sides.