Four die in clashes with police in Bhola

BHOLA, Oct 20 (Agencies): Four people were killed and an unspecified number of others injured in a clash between police and local people while demonstrating in Borhanuddin upazila on Sunday, demanding the punishment of a youth 'for a Facebook post' hurting the religious sentiment.

Four people-Mizan, Mahfuz Patwari, Shaheen and Mahbub Patwari-were killed, said Dr Abul Kalam Azad, medical officer of Bhola Sadar Hospital.

Thirty people who suffered bullet wounds during the clash were admitted to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, said Dr Abul Hasnat Russell at the hospital's emergency department.

All of them were admitted to the hospital between 1:30 pm and 5pm, he added.

Talking to local journalists, Sarkar Mohammad Kaisar, Superintendent of Bhola Police, said local people turned furious over the offensive remarks about Prophet Muhammad (SM) from the Facebook ID of Biplab Chandra Shuvo, a local man.

"The clash took place centring the hacking of a Facebook ID on October 18. We detained all those involved in ID hacking. They're now in custody. We sat in a meeting with local influential people, public representatives, imams and Alem who had assured us that they wouldn't hold their scheduled protest programme today," he said.

"But, today they started taking preparations to hold the programme and then police appeared at the scene", the SP said.

"When we're leaving the place after the rally, some people started throwing brickchips at us forcing us to take shelter in an adjoining building and fire blank shots," the SP said.

Three people were killed and a policeman suffered bullet wounds during the clash, he said.

Md Enamul Haque, officer-in-charge of Borhanuddin Police Station, said Biplob on Saturday came to the police station to file a general diary claiming that his Facebook account was hacked.

"Biplob also said someone demanded extortion from him over mobile phone," he said.

Meanwhile, one platoon of BGB troops was sent to the spot by helicopters while another three platoons were sent by road to quell the situation," said Md Shariful Islam, public relations officer at the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters.

Besides, one platoon of Bangladesh Coast Guard has been deployed on the spot, said Lt Hayat-Ibne-Siddique, media officer of Coast Guard headquarters.

The violence erupted around 10:45am on Sunday after hundreds of locals gathered for a rally under the banner of 'Muslim Tawhidi Janata' in protest against the social media post.

Two bullet-ridden bodies were taken to the Upazila Health Complex, said its resident physician Md Shahin.

They were identified as Bhola Polytechnic Institute student 'Shahin' and Mahbub Patwary, student of a local madrasa.

Two other bodies, identified as 'Mizan' and 'Mahfuz' were taken to Bhola Sadar Hospital, said the district's Civil Surgeon Rathindranath Roy.

The programme was originally scheduled to start at 11am but people hoping to join the event became enraged when the organisers wrapped up the meeting at 10:30am, said Upazila chairman.