Protesters want a Taliban state: Motijheel DC

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Motijheel Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Syed Nurul Islam today said that protesters do not want Bangladesh to be established as a dignified state, instead they want it to become a Taliban-type state.

He made the remarks after a group of demonstrators, who are protesting against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Dhaka visit, broke out into a clash with police and Awami League men on the premises of Baitul Mukarram mosque in the capital today.

"It is an honour for us that the Prime Minister of India has come to Bangladesh but these protesters have clashed to destroy that dignity. I have doubts in my mind as to whether they really want the dignity of the state or rather want a Taliban state," said Islam.

The official avoided answering the question of how many people were injured in the clash after groups took up positions inside the mosque and started throwing bricks from inside.

When asked why the situation escalated when the police had a security cordon ready, he said, "We had a security cordon expecting such situations would arise but the protesters used the mosque as a shield."

"We did not enter the mosque – in order to protect the sanctity of the holy place," he added.

The police tried to stop them by using rubber bullets, tear gas, etc. to prevent them from causing damage to vehicles and disrupting law and order.

Apart from the police, leaders and activists of the ruling Chhatra League and Juba League took up a confrontational stance to resist the protesters.

A conflict broke out when one group of protesters chanted and displayed their shoes, and another opposed these actions.