Army says action at Kakrail was necessary after peace efforts failed
Reaffirming the government’s “zero tolerance” stance on mob violence, the army said it remains committed to taking a tough position to ensure public security.
The Bangladesh Army has said its intervention in Kakrail on Friday night (29 August) was unavoidable after repeated attempts failed to defuse tensions between Jatiyo Party and Gono Odhikar Parishad leaders and activists.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page at 12:29am on Saturday (30 August), just hours after the incident, the army said violence broke out around 8pm when activists of two political parties clashed in front of the Jatiyo Party office in Kakrail, leaving several people injured.
"Police were the first to arrive and tried to calm the situation, but as the clashes escalated and officers came under attack, the Army was called in to assist," reads the statement.
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According to the army, law enforcers initially urged both sides to disperse peacefully and resolve their differences within the framework of the law. "However, despite repeated appeals, some activists ignored the calls, engaged in mob violence, and carried out organised attacks on security personnel."
The statement added that by around 9pm, the violence intensified further when protesters held a torch procession, hurled brickbats, and attempted to set fire to different structures. Public movement in Bijoynagar, Naya Paltan, and surrounding areas was severely disrupted,it said.
"After exhausting all peaceful means, the security forces were compelled to use force in the interest of public safety," the army said, adding that five of its personnel were injured during the operation.
Reaffirming the government's "zero tolerance" stance on mob violence, the army said it remains committed to taking a tough position against any such unrest in order to ensure public security and restore confidence among citizens.
Earlier in the day, at around 6:30pm, several people were injured as activists of the Jatiyo Party and Gono Odhikar Parishad clashed in front of Jatiyo Party's central office in Kakrail, Dhaka.
A large deployment of police and army personnel later arrived to restore order.
Meanwhile, a video widely shared on social media shows the joint force using batons to beat and disperse Gono Odhikhar Parishad leaders and activists, who were seen standing behind a dais on the street where they wanted to brief the media.
Abu Hanif, senior leader and media coordinator of Gono Odhikar Parishad, claimed that 50 of their activists, including President Nurul Haque Nur and General Secretary Md Rashed Khan, were injured in the incident.
Speaking to reporters around 11:30pm, Md Rashed Khan said Nur was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in a critical state and doctors were keeping him under close observation.
Meanwhile, Jatiyo Party leaders alleged that activists of Gono Odhikar Parishad launched an attack on them while marching past the party office.
On the other hand, Gono Odhikar Parishad leaders claimed that it was the Jatiyo Party supporters who first hurled bricks and stones at their procession, provoking the clash.
