Police obstruct Jatiyo Party rally in Kakrail, use water cannon, tear gas
Police claimed that Jatiyo Party supporters hurled bricks at them during the confrontation
Police obstructed leaders and activists of the Jatiyo Party (JaPa) from holding a scheduled rally in front of the party's central office at Kakrail in Dhaka this afternoon (11 October).
Members of the Motijheel division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) blocked the road near the Jatiyo Party office before the rally began.
Officers initially asked the party men to leave the area, but an altercation soon broke out between police and Jatiyo Party men.
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As tensions rose, Jatiyo Party activists began chanting slogans. They alleged that the police, acting at the instigation of the Gono Odhikar Parishad and several other groups, were trying to stop their rally by labeling them "agents of fascists".
Police later used water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse the agitated crowd.
Muhammad Al Farabi, assistant commissioner of DMP, said the use of water cannons and tear gas was intended to restore order in the area.
Several cocktail explosions were reported during the chase and counter-chase.
Police claimed that Jatiyo Party supporters hurled bricks at them during the confrontation.
The rally was organised to demand the withdrawal of "false cases" against Jatiyo Party Chairman GM Quader and other leaders, the release of detained activists, an end to mob violence, and the assurance of fair, participatory elections.
Earlier in the day, the rally began with speeches from GM Quader and Shamim Haider Patwary from a temporary stage built on a truck, as groups of leaders and activists joined in from nearby areas.
A large number of police personnel had been deployed in and around Kakrail ahead of the programme.
