Two young men were seriously injured in a violent clash between activists of the Gono Odhikar Parishad and police near the Jatiya Party’s central office in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area on Friday night.
The injured, identified as Rahul, 22, and Monir, 25, were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 8:45pm, with gunshot wounds – one in the right arm and the other in the left, hospital sources confirmed.
Inspector Md Faruk, in charge of the police camp at DMCH, said, “Two individuals with gunshot injuries were brought in from Bijoynagar, reportedly caught in a clash near the Jatiya Party office.”
Witnesses said the confrontation erupted when Gono Odhikar Parishad activists attempted to vandalise the Jatiya Party office. Police intervened, leading to a scuffle in which the two men were shot.
After receiving treatment at the hospital, both were discharged and returned home. Inspector Faruk did not provide a clear answer when asked whether the gunfire came from police.
Ramna Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Golam Faruq confirmed that several officers were injured by bricks during the clash but firmly denied that police had fired any shots. “No shots were fired by police, and no one was injured by police bullets,” he said.
He further claimed that the gunshot victims, who sought treatment at DMCH, provided false information. “They fled without treatment after giving false statements at the hospital,” OC Faruq added.