A police officer detains a Jamaat-e-Islami activist during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 12, 2013.
Clashes have erupted between demonstrators and police forces in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka following the arrest of a Muslim leader.
On Wednesday, protesters gathered near the city’s principal business district, Motijheel, where they demanded release of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Abdul Quader Mollah. Reports say that police used tear gas to disperse protesters.
Officials say three policemen have been injured in the violence and dozens of people have also been arrested.
Bangladeshi authorities say the man is accused of murder and torture during the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. But his supporters say those allegations are politically motivated. Protesters have vowed to stage more protests in the coming days.
On Tuesday, a similar protest took place in the same region where demonstrators reportedly threw stones at police forces. In response, police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Reports say home-made bombs exploded in the busy commercial area, where dozens of people including protesters and security forces were injured.
Earlier in the month, a senior leader of the party, Selim Uddin issued a statement saying that “There is no scope to give verdict from a controversial tribunal to save the country from the civil war… Don’t push the country towards a civil war by creating discord.”
MAM/JR
