Dhaka, Feb 7 (IANS) At least 50 people, including several journalists, were injured after repeated clashes broke out between law enforcement personnel and Inqilab Mancha activists in Dhaka’s Shahbagh area, where police resorted to baton charges, tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse protesters, local media reported on Saturday.
This comes as the journalists have been under constant threat after the interim government took over in Bangladesh. The attacks on media professionals have been on the rise throughout the past year.
The confrontation reportedly began around 7:50 p.m. on Friday when police attempted to clear activists from the Shahbagh intersection.
Tensions had been building since the afternoon, with demonstrators gathering to demand justice for the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi and calling for a United Nations-led investigation, according to reports published by Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Dhaka Tribune.
After offering Friday prayers, the protesters marched from Shahbagh toward the residence of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at Jamuna.
During the march, demonstrators broke through police barricades at the InterContinental intersection before security forces intervened and dispersed them.
By around 10:30 p.m., the protesters eventually vacated the Shahbagh area after occupying the intersection and engaging in confrontations with law enforcement authorities.
Police reportedly used tear gas shells and sound grenades to break up the crowd, while incidents of chasing between protesters and security personnel continued until approximately 9 p.m.
In the aftermath of the clashes, security arrangements were strengthened at the offices of prominent Bangladeshi newspapers The Daily Star and Prothom Alo following violent confrontations between police and Inquilab Mancha activists near the InterContinental intersection in Dhaka.
The precautionary measures brought back memories of an earlier incident on December 18 last year, when offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were attacked, vandalised and set ablaze following the death of Inquilab Mancha’s then-convenor, Sharif Osman Hadi.
In that case, hundreds of individuals were named in the complaint, and authorities later arrested 28 suspects.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association (DUJA) issued a strong condemnation and protest against reported attacks and intimidation faced by journalists while performing their professional responsibilities.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, DUJA said that multiple journalists, including Jugantor correspondent Abu Saleh Musa, were assaulted and injured by members of law enforcement agencies while covering the protest.
The association alleged that certain members of the security forces acted in an unconstitutional and deliberate manner by physically attacking journalists, obstructing them from carrying out their duties, and damaging their equipment, The Dhaka Tribune reported.
Describing the incidents as a serious attack on press freedom, DUJA termed the obstruction and assault on journalists as a blatant and direct threat to independent media.
The association strongly denounced what it called a targeted and disgraceful attack and demanded that the personnel responsible for the actions be identified and brought to justice at the earliest.
--IANS
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