 About 100 people were injured yesterday afternoon as a group of BNP cadres and then police locked horns with a few thousand Jubo League members and supporters at Lalbagh in Old Dhaka. Local Awami League (AL) leader Haji Selim, some 15 policemen, and four journalists were among those wounded in the three-hour clashes.
| "The bastards got Haji Selim! Medic! Medic!" |
Witnesses said the skirmishing erupted at about 2:45pm when a Jubo League procession led by Haji Selim came face to face with a group of over 100 alleged associates and supporters of local BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu at Chaukbazar Crossroads.
| "Harrrr! Ain't nobody stages a percession on my turf!" |
According to a pre-planned schedule, members and supporters of the main opposition AL and its youth wing from Lalbagh and the adjacent areas were to assemble in Azad Playground before marching toward Paltan to join yesterday's Jubo League grand rally. But, BNP men had occupied the playground beforehand.
| "We'll occupy the playground afore they gets here! Mahmoud! Take yer boyz over by the swing set! Ahmed! Dig in there by the merry-go-round! Mustafa! Get some landmines in that sandbox!" |
To avoid any confrontation, the AL and Jubo League members assembled in Lalbagh Shahi Masjid area, instead of the playground.
| "Hot damn! That playground looks more like the Western Front! Why don't we assemble over here by the old Masjid?" |
From there they were marching towards Paltan through Chuakbazar when they confronted Pintu's men.
| "Harrr! Youse can't percess through here widdout our say-so, an' we don't say so!" |
After a heated exchange of words,
"A curse on yez, Jubo League!"
"Yer mudder wears combat boots!"
"Well, your mudder is sooooooo fat....!" |
the BNP cadres pounced on the opposition men
and then both sides engaged each other, wielding sticks and hurling brickbats, locals described. Soon two crude bombs went off.
After about five minutes of the scramble, the BNP men retreated.
"Bring up the shutter gun!"
"Retreat! Retreat!" |
But, the furious Jubo League members ran amok, setting fire to two motorbikes, damaging some three-wheelers, a vehicle of Dhaka City Corporation and a rickshaw-van,
| "Yarrr! Smash the rickshaw!" |
ransacking several shops,
| "A ladies' underwear shop! Let's ransack it, boyz!" |
throwing brickbats at police,
 and burning banners, torn cloths and paper boxes in the compound of Lalbagh Police Station. A few hundred police led by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (South) Additional Deputy Commissioner M Shahriar Rahman then went into action
lobbing about 300 teargas shells at the agitators, who pelted the law enforcers with brickbats in return. The two sides chased and counter-chased,
| Was this produced by Hal Roach? |
when police too threw stones at the demonstrators. Police also charged baton, and discharged salvoes of rubber bullets and pellets to scatter the opposition mob.
| And a wonderful time was had by all... |
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