The areas surrounding the capital's Nayapaltan turned into a battlefield as BNP men are waging a pitched battle with police for two hours.

A chase and counter chase between activists of BNP on one side, and police personnel and Awami League activists on the other, is going on in the capital's Purana Paltan.

One of the correspondents of this newspaper present there reported that BNP men chased police to the Bijoynagar Water Tank area. Police later took position at the Purana Paltan around 3:05pm.

Awami League men joined with police and tried to chase away BNP men from the place.

The clash between police and BNP men started around 1:00pm near Kakrail mosque, and it later spread to Nightingale intersection.

Around 3:00pm police took positions at the Nightingale intersection and they were lobbying volleys of sound grenades and tear gas shells in the direction of Nayapaltan and Shantinagar, our correspondents reported from the spot.

BGB forces were present there but so far has not intervened. 

Photo: Sheikh Enam/Star

BNP men were hurling brickbats from the direction of Nayapaltan and Shantinagar. Chases and counter-chases between police and BNP men taking place, reports a correspondent of this newspaper present there.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members were deployed in the area around 2:00pm, our correspondent reports from the spot. 

Shariful Islam, public relations officer of BGB, confirmed that the force was deployed at Kakrail.

Earlier, the activists torched a police box near Kakrail Church and vandalised another police box near Kakrail mosque, our correspondent reports from the spot. It could not be immediately known whether there was any casualties.

This morning, BNP men gathered near the mosque before joining the party's rally at Nayapaltan. The number of BNP activists at the intersection increased following a clash between BNP and AL men there around 11:30am.

Photo: Sk Enamul Haq

One of our correspondents present at the spot reported that law enforcers lobbed series of sound grenades and tear gas shells to disperse them at around 1:00pm. BNP men were throwing brick chunks and sticks at the law enforces and a chase and counter-chase ensued.

The clash was ongoing till 1:15pm, when this report was filed.

Eyewitnesses said around 11:30am, AL men on a pickup truck were heading towards Baitaul Mukarram south gate to attend the ruling party's rally.

BNP leaders and activists were already camped on the road from the Kakrail intersection to Arambagh. The pickup could not move towards Gulistan. At that time, clashes broke out between Awami League and BNP activists. Some vehicles were also damaged.