Four people were shot dead on Friday, 26 March, in Bangladesh’s Chittagong after protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the nation’s capital Dhaka took a violent turn, reported Reuters. Four persons were reportedly injured.
According to a report by AFP, the four killed were supporters of a hardline Islamist group, Hefazat-e-Islam.
PM Modi’s two-day visit to the “friendly” neighbouring country comes amid Bangladesh’s celebrations to mark 50 years of its Independence.
A police official told Reuters that they had to fire tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who had entered a police station and vandalised it.
The four bodies were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital after violence broke out at Hathazari, a rural town, AFP reported, quoting police.
“We got four bodies here. They are all riddled with bullets. Three of them were madrasa students and another a tailor,” Alauddin Talukder, a police inspector told AFP.
Hefazat spokesman Mir Idris told AFP that 5,000 supporters of Hefazat-e-Islam took part in the protests against PM Modi’s visit and police action.
Meanwhile, violence also erupted at Bangladesh’s largest mosque in Dhaka where citizens and police clashed. While the protesters reportedly pelted the police with stones and bricks, the cops fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells.
These relatively smaller clashes left nine people injured, reported AFP. Two journalists were also injured, according to Reuters.
PM Modi Confers Prize Upon Mujibur Rahman
Addressing the National Day event in Dhaka, PM Modi said, “I would like to remind my brothers and sisters in Bangladesh with pride of being involved in the struggle for independence of Bangladesh was one of the first movements of my life.”
He also said that he had the opportunity to go to jail during his participation in these protests.
PM Modi also handed over the Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughters on Friday, saying “It is a matter of pride for Indians that we got the opportunity to honour Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with Gandhi Peace Prize.”
Earlier in the day, PM Modi had attended an event at the National Martyrs’ Memorial and the National Day programme in Dhaka, commemorating 50 years of the country’s liberation.
(With inputs from AFP and Reuters.)
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