BANGLADESH

Police have said they were not prepared for the kind of chaos Jamaat-e-Islami activists created on Monday through pre-planned picketing, arson and vandalism.

Speaking to bdnews24.com on Tuesday afternoon, several officials suggested that the police were going to be stricter with the party's activities now on.

Detective branch deputy commissioner Monirul Islam said despite warnings from the Special Branch, police did not expect this level of anarchy on the streets.

He said most of the men involved in the attack on police were from outside the capital and were handpicked musclemen of the party.

"The top leaders who had been arrested have also admitted to the fact," he said.

An official seeking anonymity told bdnews24.com that technical errors in handling the situation rapidly escalated the turmoil. Policemen had to run for cover and could not do anything before the backups arrived, he said.

Another detective branch official told bdnews24.com that police would remain more cautious now on, so that the party did not create anarchy in the name of political programmes in future.

Inspector general of police Hasan Mahmud Khandaker also thought the attacks on police were pre-planned.

When asked whether police had made any technical errors, he said, "The police were sincere in controlling the situation and showed professionalism."

DC Monirul said he thought Jamaat had used all of its strength but the police were far lenient.

However, the IGP declined to comment on whether the police had received any warning about the incident.

Violent clashes broke out between police and Jamaat members in Dhaka on Monday. The pickets set fire to at least 15 vehicles and vandalised 25 more.

Some 300 people were arrested, including the Islamist party's acting secretary-general, and nine cases were filed against them in Dhaka and Chittagong.