BANGLADESH

Police on Sunday fired around 100 rounds of blank shots and tear shells in Sylhet as massive clashes broke out between the law enforcers and pro-shutdown pickets on Sunday afternoon.

At least 20 were injured during the clashes and over 50 people detained, police said.

However, the situation was peaceful until the afternoon.

Clash ensued in Sylhet city after police barred BNP activists from taking out a procession in support of the shutdown protesting disappearance of one of the BNP's organising secretaries, M Ilias Ali.

The clashes ensued around 12:30pm at Zindabazar when police barred a procession led by Jamiyate Ulamaye Islam, member of the newly formed BNP-led 18-Party Coalition, Kotwali police officer in charge Ataur Rahman said.

Police fired at least 20 tear shells and 30 blank shots to bring the situation under control. They also detained 14 activists from the area that turned into a battle zone with opposition activists pelting the law enforcers with brickbats.

Earlier, opposition activists gathered at City Centre after police foiled a number of their attempts around the city to take out processions.

Chases and counter-chases also took place at the city's Babna Intersection. Law enforcers detained an activist during the altercation, South Surma police said.

A clash broke out at Tuker Bazar also and police fired 20-25 tear gas shells and blank shots and detained around 20 activists, Sylhet Mertopolitan Police deputy commissioner Ezaz Ahmed said.

BNP activists surrounded the Bishwanath Police Station, the area where Ilias Ali's home is, around noon and pelted brickbats. A clash between the law enforcers and protesters began and police fired 50 tear shells and blank shots. They also detained 11 activists from there.

Earlier, around 11:00am, pickets vandalised an auto-rickshaw carrying newspapers and a medicine shop and torched a food shop. Police have detained three pickets from there, Sylhet district SP Shakhawat Hossain said.

Additional police have been deployed at the key points of Sylhet city including Ambarkhana, Chouhatta, Court Point, Jindabazar and City Point. Rapid Action Battalion personnel are also patrolling the city.

Additional commissioner of Sylhet Mertopolitan Police Abdullah Al Azad Choudhury said, "Police are working to ensure safety and security of the people."

He added they detained two Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activists, Saidul Enam Choudhury Lahin, 28, and Enamul Haque Choudhury Shamim, 32, from Zindabazar in the morning along with a knife and a motorcycle.

Most of the streets are empty due to the shutdown except for the rickshaws plying the streets. Long route buses are not operating and most of the shops are closed.

Around 8am, police detained four pickets from Eidgah area in Shayestanagar. They are Azizul Islam, 35, Sumon Mia, 30, Jewel Mia, 28, and district JCD joint convenor Imran Ahmed, 30.

A daylong shutdown was also enforced on Thursday in Sylhet over Ilias Ali's disappearance, who is also the chief of the district BNP.