Political violence kills two in Dhaka
Explosions rocked Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka and southeastern Sylhet with the main opposition BNP activists fighting pitched battle with police, leading to the death of two people as the country marked the 40th anniversary of its independence.
Blast of home-made bombs killed a youth at Dhaka’s Motijheel business district while the opposition activists reportedly also set afire five vehicles including a police van and a passenger bus as they clashed with police at different points in the capital, reports said.
The violence erupted after baton-wielding police dispersed hundreds of activists of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party trying to rally to mark the country’s 40th independence anniversary.
“The device exploded with a bang apparently killing the young man immediately and critically injuring another passerby,” a photojournalist who witnessed scene told PTI.
Police suspected the victim, 24-year old Arifuzzaman Arif, was carrying the explosives filled in a tin pot while they detained nearly 280 “unruly activists” from the city.
