Staff Reporter:
Police have filed four separate cases in connection with Thursday’s violent clashes between law enforcement personnel and a group identifying themselves as “July Warriors” near the National Parliament complex in Dhaka.
According to Ibn Mizan, Deputy Commissioner of Tejgaon Division Police, the cases were lodged at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station on Friday night. A total of around 900 unidentified individuals have been accused in the cases.
“The National Parliament area is a restricted zone. The cases were filed on charges of forcibly entering the area, attacking police personnel, vandalizing property, and setting fires,” DC Mizan told the media.
The clashes erupted early Friday morning, following an overnight protest staged by several hundred individuals who claimed to be “July Warriors.” After demonstrating in front of the Parliament complex late Thursday night, they scaled the perimeter wall and occupied the area near the stage prepared for the signing ceremony of the July Charter — a landmark political agreement scheduled for later that day.
Despite repeated attempts by police officers and members of the National Consensus Commission to persuade the protesters to leave peacefully, they refused to vacate the area. The police eventually dispersed them with baton charges.
Later in the day, after being removed from the venue, the protesters regrouped on Manik Mia Avenue and clashed again with police. They reportedly vandalized a police bus and several vehicles, and set fire to tyres and wooden debris on the street. The confrontation, which lasted nearly two hours, subsided only after heavy rainfall in the afternoon.
Police officials said further investigations are underway to identify those involved in the violence and to determine whether any organized groups were behind the incident.
