Law enforcers take control of Motijheel in dawn drive

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FE Report Law enforcers, in a special drive, took control of the capital's commercial hub Motijheel early Monday after ejecting leaders and activists of Hefajat-e-Islam (H-e-I). Thousands of policemen and members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) went for the drive at about 2:45 am as the Hefajat men rejected the repeated requests of the police to clear the area after the grand rally, police sources said. Police swept into action by firing tear gas shells, rubber bullets and sound grenades that forced the demonstrators to walk out of the spot within 10 minutes of the drive, according to policemen. At least seven people were killed and many others injured in the raid. However, Resident Surgeon of DMCH Dr Haridas Saha told the FE that seven were dead and 45 others injured. He confirmed that most of the injured received bullet wounds. The lawmen comprising Rab, police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) made announcements from loudspeakers requesting the activists for leaving the area following their granted time. But leader and activists of H-e-I refused to leave the place which forced the law enforcers to go for action. Armoured police cars and thousands of law enforcers fired rubber bullets from different directions compelling the Hefajat men to creep to nearby alleys. By 3:00 am Monday, the security forces cleared the area from Shapla Chattar to Ittefaq and Dainik Bangla intersections. The Hefajat men got angry following interception of the law enforcers and left the place after torching roadside makeshift shops and vandalising many bank, insurance and other offices. However, the Hefajat men tried to rearrange themselves at different key points like Modhumita Cinema Hall, Notre Dame College, Balaka Chattar, Ittefaq intersection, Pubali Bank and Islami Bank Chattar. To avoid arrest, several large groups ran towards Jatrabari using the Ittefaq intersection, which the law enforcers kept open for them to flee. Meanwhile, most of the Hefajat activists, driven away from Motijheel, moved to Kanchpur in Narayanganj. Rounding the area in the early morning Monday, the FE found a ravaged Motijheel with thousands of pairs of shoes, scattered rubber bullets, marbles, burnt makeshift shops and electricity cables, blood clot here and there. "It is tough to recognise Motijheel, the heart of business of the country," Mosharraf Hossain, a Bangladesh Bank employee told the FE. "I've never seen such destruction in my 25 years of 'Motijheel life,' said Mosharraf, who lives at AGB Colony in the area. Meanwhile, Dhaka became isolated from other parts of the country Sunday as leaders and activists of Hefajat-e-Islam took positions at all the points of entry to the capital city since early Sunday to press home their 13-point demand. Tens of thousands of leaders and activists of Hefajat, the Qawmi madrasa-based Islamist group, gathered on the approach roads to the city. They made road blockades at Demra, Jatrabari, Sign Board, Aminbazar, Tongi, Uttara, Gulistan, Postagola and Babu Bazar bridges, braving rain and brandishing sticks to make their Dhaka siege programme a success. They prevented vehicles to come into or out of the capital since the early hours and chanted slogans in favour of their 13-point demand, including capital punishment for the bloggers whom they alleged to have denigrated Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).