At least 20 people, including four police officers, were injured in a clash between police and local residents in Raypur upazila of Lakshmipur on Thursday night over the detention of four suspected rickshaw thieves.
The confrontation broke out around 8:30pm in Sonapur union after locals detained four men in connection with the theft of a battery-run auto-rickshaw.
Police and residents said Shah Alam of Ward 1 under the union had left his auto-rickshaw by the roadside to attend Iftar when it was stolen within minutes.
Locals later caught four suspects and recovered the vehicle, but alleged that its batteries had already been sold.
The suspects were taken to a nearby house and beaten as residents demanded the return of the batteries.
Police said a team rushed to the spot after receiving a call through the national emergency service 999 and attempted to rescue the detainees.
Tension mounted when locals refused to hand over the suspects, triggering a clash.
The injured officers, identified as Motaleb, Shawkat, Manjur and Zahid, were admitted to Raypur Upazila Health Complex.
Shah Alam claimed that 15 to 16 residents were also injured, alleging that police charged at them when they tried to prevent the removal of the suspects.
Lakshmipur Police Additional Superintendent Administration and Finance Hossain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi said a mobile team went to the scene after reports that the suspects were being assaulted.
He said 20 to 30 people hurled bricks at police from behind when officers tried to take the accused into custody, injuring four personnel including a Sub-Inspector.
Following the clash, locals blocked the Lakshmipur-Raypur regional road from 10:00pm to 1:30am by placing bamboo and logs and setting fires on the road.
The blockade created a traffic jam stretching nearly two kilometres and disrupted public movement.
The road was cleared after the army and additional police units intervened, and the situation is now normal, Kazemi said.
He said the four suspects remain in custody and cases will be filed over the rickshaw theft and the attack on police.
