30 injured in clash between police, locals in Panchagarh

A section of Muslim devotees on Friday clashed with police demanding the closure of a Qadiani Salana Jalsa in Panchagarh town, leaving at least 30 people injured and several shops and houses vandalised.

Police fired more than a hundred rounds of rubber bullets and tear gas shells to disperse the stone-throwing protesters, witnesses said. Some journalists covering the violence were among the injured.

After the Jummah prayers, devotees gathered from some mosques in Panchagarh municipality area and started a protest march. Then they went to Panchagarh town staging an agitation there. At one point they marched towards the Qadianis Jalsa in the Ahmed Nagar area.

As police stopped the procession at Panchagarh Chowrangi intersection, the protesters became angry and started throwing brickbats at the police in the city's cinema hall road area.

Police had to move back at one point due to the protest procession. At least 30 people were injured.

Shops in Panchagarh town closed as the violence spread panic among the people.

The angry mob also looted around 20 houses of the Qadianis located in Ahmednagar.

Media workers are also unable to go anywhere as the police and angry devotees are stationed at different points.

Meanwhile, BGB and RAB joined the police to control the situation. At the time of filing this report at 5:39pm, angry mobs blocked the roads at various points.

Panchagarh Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Latif Miah said, the situation is still tense.

Tension over the Jalsa, between the groups, has been going on for a long time in the area, he added.

Some Islamic groups in Bangladesh consider Qadianis, also known as Ahmadiyyahs, as non-muslims and want a ban on the sect's activities