At least 10 people were injured on Monday in explosion of several crude bombs in a rally in the capital's Gulshan area to protest the ongoing nationwide blockade-hartal, enforced by the BNP-Jamaat-led 20-Party Alliance, police and eye witnesses said.
The incident took place at about 12:15 pm at Gulshan-2 intersection, when a group of protestors, under the banner of Sromik-Kormochari-Muktijoddha-Peshajibi Somonnoy Porishod, were on their way to join a rally, organised by its convener Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan.
The minister was leading the procession towards Khaleda Zia's office at Gulshan-2 to protest the non-stop blockade and recurrent spells of hartal since January 6.
Confirming the incident of blasts, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Gulshan Zone) Lutful Kabir said the bombs were hurled at the procession when it was crossing Gulshan's Metropolitan Shopping Mall, causing injuries to several people.
He said they have arrested five suspected people from the area, and took them for interrogation.
"We cannot disclose their names for the sake of investigation," he added.
Soon after the blasts, a joint team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police carried out a drive inside the shopping mall, as the bombs were believed to be hurled from the rooftop of a nearby building, half-km away from the BNP chairperson's office.
Some of the protestors, being infuriated by the attack, attacked several shops and other establishments in the area.
The injured people, however, were taken to United Hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital and other adjacent healthcare centres for treatment.
The shipping minister in a press briefing later on the day strongly condemned the heinous explosions in the rally, and blamed the BNP-Jamaat-led alliance for the bomb attack.
He also claimed a total of 18 people were injured in the attack, and released their identities.
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Bomb blasts in minister\\\'s anti-hartal rally
FE Report | Published: February 17, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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