Three held as BNP men and police clash in Manikganj

Three BNP activists were detained after a clash broke out between party men and police in Manikganj today, the first day of the three-day nationwide blockade called by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.

BNP claimed that at least eight of their activists were injured in the clash.

The BNP men brought out procession from Sewta area in the district town around 7:30am, reports our local correspondent.

The procession was chased by the police when it went to Dhaka-Aricha highway through Manora area. BNP leaders and activists threw brick chunks at the police. At one point, police fired several rounds of blank bullets. Eight BNP men were injured, claimed Arif Hossain Liton, office secretary of the district BNP.

"Police have detained three people including district BNP vice president and former public prosecutor of Judge's Court Azad Hossain Khan, municipality BNP's president and former Councillor of Manikganj Municipality Nasir Uddin Ahmed Jadu."

Officer-in-Charge of Manikganj Sadar Police Station Abdur Rauf Sarkar said BNP leaders and activists threw bricks at the police. Blank shots were fired to bring the situation under control. Three BNP were detained from the spot.