DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) – At least four people were killed and dozens injured in violent protests on Friday triggered by the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangladesh to celebrate his 50th anniversary of independence.
The victims came after students at a major madrassa or Islamic school and members of an Islamic group clashed with police in the southeastern Chattogram district.
Alauddin Talukder, a police officer at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, told reporters that five injured people were taken to the hospital and four of them died during treatment. Further details could not be confirmed immediately.
Local media reported that members of the Islamic group Hefazat-e-Islam, which has a network of Islamic schools, attacked government structures, including a police station and a land office, in the Hathazari area of Chattogram before the police acted.
At the main mosque in Dhaka, clashes broke out between groups of protesters and police dispersed the crowd using tear gas and rubber bullets – injuring many, officials and witnesses said.
Protesters also set fire to offices at a railway station in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria, disrupting railway communications.
Modi’s two-day visit, his first abroad since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, will include the celebration of 100 years since the birth of Bangladesh’s independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina, India’s key partner in maintaining regional stability, welcomed Modi at the airport on Friday morning.
Critics accuse Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party of fueling religious polarization in India and discriminating against minorities, especially Muslims. In recent weeks, protesters in Bangladesh have asked the Indian leader not to visit them and shouted anti-India and anti-Modi slogans. They also criticized Hasina for inviting him.
Outside the Baitul Mokarram mosque, hundreds of protesters gathered in the afternoon. Witnesses said the clashes started after a faction of protesters started to shake their shoes in disrespect to Modi, and another group tried to stop them.
Local media said the protesters who tried to prevent shoe shaking are in line with the ruling Awami League party. The party criticized the other protesting faction for trying to create chaos in the country during Modi’s visit.
Local TV showed protesters throwing stones at the police, who were heavily present in the streets near the mosque. Somoy TV reported that at least 40 people were injured, including journalists, and were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Abdul Mazid, a businessman who joined the prayer, told the Associated Press that he was trapped in the mosque after trying to flee when violence broke out during the prayer.
“I had a feeling that something was going to happen. I’m still inside the mosque, ”he said by phone. “There is enormous violence, I can see it from here.”
A police official said members of several Islamic groups had joined the protests, but it was unclear which groups they represented. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, in accordance with the regulations. He declined to provide data on how many people were injured.
After Modi’s arrival, Hasina told an audience at a stop in Dhaka that Bangladesh’s relations with India have reached a new peak.
“Our (bilateral) relations with India have reached new heights,” she said. “If we go hand in hand, the development of our people will be inevitable.”
While Modi’s trip focuses mainly on Bangladesh’s birthday celebrations, the visit also has a political agenda at home, as voting begins on Saturday in several state elections, including West Bengal, which borders Bangladesh.
In order to win Hindu support in the main battle state, Modi must visit a Hindu temple outside Dhaka that is sacred to the Matua community in West Bengal. The vote by the Matua sect should determine the winner of at least seven seats in a close contest for control of the state assembly.
Modi, in a tweet on the Thursday night before his trip, said the two countries share a vital relationship.
“Our partnership with Bangladesh is an important pillar of our Neighborhood First policy and we are committed to deepening and diversifying it. We will continue to support Bangladesh’s remarkable development journey, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ”he said.