DC, policemen detained by mob, later rescued

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DINAJPUR, May 3 (bdnews24.com): Paramilitary troops have helped secure the release of detained deputy commissioner (DC) of Dinajpur and police officers at a local house. Two Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) teams along with two magistrates went to the spot at Kaharol Upazila at around 3.0pm Tuesday, said Additional Deputy Commissioner Zakir Hossain. Angry mob had detained DC Jamal Uddin and police officers in a stand-off at Kaharol and Birganj upazilas over an overnight robbery Monday night in the house of Dr Rajon Debnath of Vasuria. The mob set ablaze a microbus carrying plainclothes policemen late Monday night, and a pick-up van of Kaharol police and three motor bikes between 10am and 12pm. The agitators detained officer in-charge of Kaharol police station Md Shahidullah and Assistant Police Superintendent Khairul Islam when they had gone there Tuesday morning to investigate the robbery. They set on fire the pick-up van. The DC then went to the rescue of the policeman but he was besieged. The police had fired some 20 rounds of blank shots to disperse the mob. "Locals detained and torched the microbus carrying plainclothes policemen with firearms suspecting them to be the robbers," Kaharol's Dabur union chairman Ilias Hossain had earlier told reporters. Birganj police rescued the detained police members by firing blank shots as Bolea Bazar is under Birganj upazila and Vasuria under Kaharol upazila. Inhabitants of Birhganj have laid siege to and vandalised Birganj police station, detaining the policemen inside and set ablaze at least three motor bikes. Armed police have been deployed in the area.