A clash ensued between BNP men and the police at Nayapaltan in the capital on Tuesday when the party activists brought out a procession protesting against communal violence in different areas of the country. The BNP leaders and activists started gathering in front of the party office from 10am to join their pre-scheduled programme. The clash took place around 11:30am when some BNP men brought out a procession towards Kakrail crossing after the end of a 'peace rally' in front of the party office. The law enforcers obstructed the procession when it reached Nightingale point. At one stage, the party men threw brick chips on the policemen and the latter fired tear gas shells. The clash left an unspecified number of people injured. Panic gripped the area and the surroundings following the clash. BNP Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy alleged that police obstructed when their leaders and activists and arrested many of them when they went to join the rally. An on-duty police official said the BNP men brought out the procession just after the speech of party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
A large number of policemen were deployed in and around the BNP central office since morning. Salahuddin Mia, Officer-in-Charge of Paltan Police Station, said at least 30 BNP men were detained from the spot. Abdul Ahad, Deputy Commissioner of Motijheel Division of Police, said BNP activists attacked police, leaving several of them injured. As they threw brickbats on police, the law enforcers were forced to charge baton on them, he added.