The protest turned violent within hours as several thousand stick-wielding demonstrators took to the streets vandalising a number of public offices and setting them on fire, he said…reports Asian Lite News.
At least one person was killed and several others were wounded after a protest against Covid-19 restrictions turned violent in Bangladesh, police said on Tuesday.
The demonstration in the south-western town of Saltha ensued Monday evening after rumours spread that a man was beaten by officials who were monitoring compliance with the coronavirus lockdown, local police chief Mohammad Alimuzzaman told dpa news agency.
The protest turned violent within hours as several thousand stick-wielding demonstrators took to the streets vandalising a number of public offices and setting them on fire, he said.
Police fired bullets and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators who broke into a local police station at one point, an incident that left one protester dead, Alimuzzaman said.
“The bullets were fired in self-defence,” the officer said, adding several other people incluing policemen were wounded during the clashes.
Additional police were deployed in the area as a precaution, he said.
Bangladesh on Monday began a seven-day lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19 with many in the capital Dhaka defying the shutdown orders.
Small traders staged demonstrations in the centre of the capital on the first day of the lockdown, calling on the government to allow them to keep their businesses open as long as they followed health guidelines.
The government ordered the people to generally stay indoors and shut down means of transport and shopping malls.
Factories were allowed to operate provided the owners ensure proper health measures.
20 injured in blast
At least 20 people were injured in a blast at the residence of a Bangladesh municipality Mayor.
The incident took place at about 9 p.m. on Tuesday night when Haji Abdus Salam, the Mayor of Mirkadim municipality in Munshiganj district, was attending a meeting with councillors and other officials in the second floor of the building.
The injured people included four councillors and the Mayor’s wife. Salam however, remained safe.
Twelve of the injured were immediately taken to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka, while one person is undergoing treatment at Munshiganj General Hospital.
Meanwhile, physicians of the Dhaka hospital told the media that one of the patients has been taken to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with 60 per cent burn injuries.
Abu Bakar Siddique, officer-in-charge of Munshiganj Sadar Police Station, said the reason behind the blast could not be ascertained immediately.