Police bar dismissed BDR members from marching towards Jamuna over 3-point demand
At around 12:15pm, law enforcers used water cannons and lobbed sound grenades to disperse the crowd
Police intercepted a protest march towards Jamuna initiated by dismissed members of the former Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), who have been seeking reinstatement of their jobs along with two other demands.
The protesters were stopped after multiple confrontations near Kakrail Mosque this noon (7 July), our correspondent reports.
As per their prior announcement, the former BDR personnel began their march from in front of the National Museum at around 11:15am.
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They broke through two police barricades and reached the Kakrail Mosque intersection around 12pm.
Despite police issuing an ultimatum to vacate the road, the protesters refused to comply. At around 12:15pm, law enforcers used water cannons and lobbed sound grenades to disperse the crowd.
At least six sound grenades were fired by police, leaving several demonstrators injured. A number of protesters were also detained during the clash.
The remaining demonstrators later moved toward the Matsya Bhaban (Department of Fisheries) area.
Before police action escalated, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam urged the protesters to send a delegation to the Jamuna and vacate the Kakrail intersection within 10 minutes.
When the demonstrators declined and decided to stay, police used force to disperse them.
The dismissed BDR members' three demands include- reinstatement into service with compensation for their dismissal, repeal of various provisions of the independent investigation commission formed in the aftermath of the 2009 Pilkhana massacre, and restoration of the "BDR" name and release of BDR members currently imprisoned.
