Demonstrators attempt to blockade Prothom Alo office

A group of demonstrators tried to take position on the road in front of the daily Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo office in the city's Karwan Bazar area for the whole day on Sunday.

This created an obstacle to vehicular movement at Karwan Bazar, the largest kitchen market in Dhaka.

The law enforcement agencies repeatedly requested the protesters to leave the area. Later on the law and order forces dispersed them in the evening to restore normal circumstances.

As the demonstrators became more agitated, the police personnel lobbed tear gas shells and fired sound grenades.

As a group of 15-20 people tried to blockade the Prothom Alo office around 12:00 pm yesterday, the police force dispersed them.

Again, the agitators tried to hold protests in front of the Prothom Alo office around 2:30 pm and started a hand to hand tussle with police force.

Afterwards, the protesters sat on the main road in front of the Karwan Bazar kitchen market and slaughtered a cow there and chanted slogans against Prothom Alo.

By evening the number of protesters rose to 50-60.

Though Bangladesh Army and police officers requested the demonstrators over and over again to leave the area, the agitating youths did not move.

The police force issued an ultimatum for them to leave the area as the time was nearing for the arrival of trucks of vegetables and other daily essentials at the market. This made them more agitated that created panic in the whole Karwan Bazar area. Many of the traders shut down their shops while the entrance to the Karwan Bazar station of the metro rail was also closed down.

The law enforcers tried to disperse the protesters by blowing their whistles that led to a scuffle. Some people started throwing brick chips on the police department members at that time. At one stage, police force charged batons and lobbed several rounds of tear gas shells and sound grenades that dispersed them.

Police officers said the law enforcement agency members were compelled to disperse the agitators to normalize the law and order situation after trying to calm them down for the whole day.

The protesters tried to gather again around 8:30 pm in front of the Prothom Alo office.

Earlier on the demonstrators tried to create a similar situation in front of the Prothom Alo office at Karwan Bazar on Thursday. They also tried to create obstacles in front of the Prothom Alo office on Saturday afternoon and chanted slogans against the newspaper, taking position on the road for some time.