1 killed, 50 hurt in clash between police, locals in Panchagarh

News Desk :
A man was killed and at least 50 people, including seven policemen, were injured in a clash between the law enforcers and Muslim devotees in Panchagarh on Friday over a Jalsa of the Ahmadiyyas.
The agitators set fire to 30 houses and four shops of Ahmadiyyas, attacked a local police station, vandalised vehicles of law enforcers, and a traffic police office, reports news agencies.
According to locals and police, Ahmadiyyas organised a three-day Jalsa Salana, their annual gathering, at Ahmednagar in Panchagarh Sadar upazila. The programme was scheduled to begin on Friday afternoon.
But Muslim devotees were staging demonstrations since Thursday demanding the cancellation of the programme.
Panchagarh additional police superintendent Shafiqul Islam said that the clash spread across Panchagarh town and police force members faced brickbats attack from the devotes.
The clash started at about 2:00pm after the Juma prayers at Chowrongi roundabout of the district town and spread to other parts of the district, said the police officer.
Police fired more than a hundred rounds of rubber bullets and tear gas shells to disperse the brickbat-throwing protesters, witnesses said.
Some journalists covering the violence were among the injured. Following the violence, the district administration postponed the three-day Jalsa.
Seventeen platoons BGB were deployed in the area to maintain law and order situation, said a statement of BGB.
BGB director for operations Lieutenant Colonel Zahid Parvez said that 17 platoons BGB were deployed in Panchagarh to contain the situation.
BGB battalion-18 commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Mahfuzul Haque told the media that they entered into Ahmadnagar village, hotspot of the violence, at about 8:30pm and found a body.
The BGB members brought the situation under control at night, said Mahfuz.