Several thousand hardline Islamic activists Friday staged angry protests and clashed with police over the publication of a cartoon in daily Prothom Alo's weekly supplement "Alpin" hurting religious sentiments of the Muslims, reports UNB.
Witnesses said immediately after 'Juma' prayer, the Islamic activists under the banner of Hijbut Tahrir assembled at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram national mosque. Later, Islamic Shasantantro Andolon and Islamic Oikya Andolon joined them shouting slogans against Prothom Alo and its editor.
They started a march towards Prothom Alo's office parading through Purana Paltan and the High Court road crossing. As the demonstrators proceeded further, police put up barbed wire barricades in front of the police control room at Shahbagh.
Muslim devotees Friday demanded banning of daily Prothom Alo and 'Saptahik 2000' and arrest of their editors and publishers for hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims by publishing blasphemous cartoon and write-up.
After Juma' prayers, Muslim devotees under the banner of 'General Musalli Parishad' held a rally on the Andarkilla mosque premises with its convenor Kazi Fazlul Karim in the chair.
Addressing the rally, the speakers accused the two publications for showing extreme audacity to Muslim Ummah through their "unpardonable" acts. Though they had apologised for the sacrilege, but they cannot be forgiven, the speakers said.
After the rally, the devotees numbering about 2,000 tried to bring out a procession, but abandoned the plan at the request of police officials.
A huge number of policemen were deployed in and around the mosque to prevent any untoward incident.
Meanwhile, police guarded the local office of Prothom Alo today apparently to provide security to the vernacular daily.
Bdnews24.com adds: The agitators wrestled with the police and broke into a security barricade there.
The police clubbed and dispersed the protesters who retreated to Dhaka University area.
The demonstrators demanded closure of publication of the Prothom Alo, which they termed a "Friend of the Jews and Christians", for carrying a rogue cartoon strip in its satire magazine Aalpin that hurt "religious sensibilities".
Later, they took position on the road in front of the BIRDEM Hospital and chanted slogans like: "The den of Prothom Alo will no more be in Bangladesh."
The police again charged baton and chased the protesters to Paribagh area. They held prayers there at about 2:45 pm and ended the "siege programme".
The police mounted guard in front of the Prothom Alo office since morning.
Protests also were raised during the Friday prayers at the Ambar Shah Mosque in Karwan Bazar against the publication of "objectionable cartoon".
The mosque's chief cleric said it was an offence that could not be forgiven. He, however, asked devotees not to take out any procession or resort to violence.
Earlier, Hizbut Tahrir had burnt an effigy titled "Matiur-Mahfuz" (Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman and publisher Mahfuz Anam) in Baitul Mukarram mosque complex.
Islami Oikya Andolon, Islamic Constitution Movement, Khelafat Andolan and Islami Chhatra Majlish also carried banners in the processions.
In Sylhet, some copies of the Prothom Alo were burnt in front of the Kudratullah Mosque at the city point area after Friday prayers.
The police foiled attempts by the demonstrators to take out processions in Court Masjid area, according to bdnews24.com correspondent.
Three workers of Hizbut Tahrir, an Islamist outfit, were detained when they were circulating leaflets urging protest processions towards the Prothom Alo office in the northeastern city, the police said.
The leaflet has also been put on the organisation's website.
Kotwali police chief Nasimul Islam said Abdullah Al Mahmud, Syed Mohidul Islam and Mushfiqur Rahman had been arrested on charges of feeding propaganda during the state of emergency.
The arrestees, who claimed to be students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, had been kept at the Kotwali Police Station. No was filed against them until 2:30 pm.
RAB and the police are guarding the Prothom Alo's Sylhet office and main city areas.
Bangladesh Workers Party in a press statement Friday welcomed the withdrawal of the issue of satire magazine Aalpin, the offering of public apology twice by the Prothom Alo, the action against the freelance cartoonist and effective steps by the government.
The party expressed deep concern at the statement and attempt to create tension among the people by those linked with BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami alliance over the rogue cartoon strip.
It claimed that in November 1998 during the tenure of BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami government a similar satire was published in "Kishore Kantha", a publication of Jamaat's student front Islami Chhatra Shibir.
On Thursday, the publication of Aalpin was suspended temporarily and cartoonist Arifur Rahman arrested.
The government also banned the Eid issue of Bangla-language weekly magazine Shaptahik 2000 Thursday, saying a biographical write-up by exiled poet Daud Haider titled "Sutanuti Samachar" could hurt religious feelings of the people.
The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam is the publisher of both Prothom Alo and Shaptahik 2000.
Earlier on Thursday, the Dhaka district magistrate asked the publisher of the Prothom Alo to explain why the satirical magazine should not cease to exist.
A defamation case was filed the same day against the editor, publisher and freelance cartoonist of the Bangla-language daily with a Chittagong court.
Patiya Al Jameya Al Islam Madrasa's administrative officer Mohammad Reza filed the case that cited "elements of sedition" in the publication of the controversial cartoon strip. Conspirators wanted to throw the country into chaos, Reza alleged.
The Chittagong court accepted the case and fixed Sept 30 for the next hearing.
A second case was filed in Comilla by a member of the Bar. Identical charges were made in the case. The magistrate ordered the police to take action.
The editor of the Prothom Alo attended an iftar party organised by the Islamic Foundation Thursday evening and apologised to the Islamic leaders present there.
Tejgaon police chief Jane Alam Thursday filed a case against Arifur Rahman, the cartoonist, with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court for Dhaka. Police arrested Arif, who is now in jail, from his Uttara home on Sept 18.
'Alpin' cartoon protesters clash with police
FE Team | Published: September 22, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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