Police use cannons on sacked BDR protesters

Staff Reporter :

Police used batons, water cannons, and fired sound grenades to disperse a group of dismissed Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) members who blocked the Kakrail Mosque intersection on Monday, pressing for their three-point demands.

The protesters had earlier gathered at the Shahbagh intersection in the morning and began marching towards the Chief Adviser’s office and residence at Jamuna around noon. As the procession reached the Kakrail Mosque intersection, they were intercepted by law enforcement and staged a sit-in.

According to eyewitnesses, police initially asked the protesters to leave the area peacefully. When they refused, law enforcers fired at least six sound grenades and used water cannons around 12:15 PM to disperse the crowd.

Several individuals, including both protesters and police personnel, were reportedly injured in the ensuing clash. Multiple protesters were detained as police pushed the crowd back toward the Matsya Bhaban area.

Earlier, at around 11:45 AM, the sacked BDR members began their procession from Shahbagh.

In an attempt to defuse the situation, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of DMP’s Ramna Division, Masud Alam, urged the demonstrators to send representatives to Jamuna for negotiations and gave them a 10-minute ultimatum to vacate the area. The protesters, however, rejected the offer and vowed to continue their sit-in, prompting the police intervention.

Commenting on the incident, Ramna Police Station Inspector Atiqul Islam said, “The DMP has imposed a ban on all forms of meetings, rallies, mass gatherings, and processions in and around the Secretariat and the Chief Adviser’s official residence, Jamuna.”