At least 40 people were injured, including bullet wounds, as clashes erupted between protesting students, Chhatra League activists and police in Chattogram city on Sunday.
The unrest began around 10am when protesters gathered at New Market area and spread to the nearby areas when police fired rubber bullets, tear gas, and sound grenades at the students around 11:30am.
The clashes started following the announcements of counter-rallies by government supporters in the city. The violence quickly spread to Kadamtali, Tiger Pass, Kotwali, Laldighi, Jubilee Road, SS Khaled Road, and Kazi Deuri areas.
Witnesses said that leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliates opened fire on protesters at New Market intersection around 2pm, leaving at least 40 injured.
Among the injured, 23 people have been admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, confirmed Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin, the director of the hospital.
Most of the injured were admitted with pellet gun injuries, he added.
According to locals, Chhatra League members reportedly started firing from the City College area, causing the protesters to disperse. As the protesters regrouped near New Market and Reazuddin Bazaar, police reportedly fired rubber bullets, tear gas, and sound grenades at them.
Videos circulating on Facebook show a helmeted man firing shots from behind the Narcotics Control Office on City College Road, while another person is seen throwing a cocktail.
The clashes then spread several kilometers to the surrounding areas.
Earlier, heavily armed members of the Awami League and Jubo League forcibly entered and vandalized the Metropolitan BNP office on Noor Ahmed Road, said witnesses.
They hurled bricks, exploded cocktails, and set fire to banners on the BNP office premises.
Later, Jubo League and Chhatra League members marched to Kazi Deuri and attacked the protesting students, injuring several, including women.
In a statement earlier today, Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam said that barricades would be placed between the two groups to prevent further violence. About 2,000 police officers have been deployed across the city.
SA
