One killed after Bangla police fire on Covid-19 protesters
Published on: Wednesday, April 07, 2021
By: AFP
Shop workers protest against restrictions imposed as a preventative measure against the coronavirus, in Dhaka.
DHAKA: One protester was killed and at least three others are in critical condition after police in Bangladesh opened fire on a violent protest against coronavirus restrictions, officials said.The incident took place in the central town of Saltha in Faridpur district, where rumours had spread that a man at a market was injured while police were enforcing Covid-19 controls as cases spike nationwide. Thousands of people took to the streets in anger.
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One group hurled bricks at a police station, vandalised government offices and torched an officer’s home and two government cars, police said.
A police spokesman said officers opened fire “in self-defence” after the station was attacked.
A 20-year-old Islamic student was killed and at least seven people injured, including three police, according to Suminur Rahman, Faridpur deputy chief of police.
Staff at state-run Faridpur Medical College Hospital said three people with gunshot wounds are in critical condition.
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“One of them was hit in his buttocks, another in his chest and the third person was shot in both legs,” Abdul Matin, a doctor at the emergency ward, told AFP.
Police said supporters of the hardline Hefazat-e-Islam group had joined the attack. Hefazat members were involved in deadly clashes during demonstrations against a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month.
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Bangladesh instituted a seven-day nationwide lockdown after 7,087 people tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, the highest daily total recorded in the South Asian nation.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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