DHAKA, Bangladesh – At least four people were killed and dozens injured in violent protests in Bangladesh on Friday, triggered by the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from India to mark 50 years since Bangladesh gained independence.
The deaths occurred in the southeastern Chattogram district, where students at a major Islamic school and members of an Islamic group clashed with police, officials said.
Alauddin Talukder, a police officer, told reporters that five injured people were taken to a Chattogram hospital and that four died during treatment.
During Modi’s two-day visit, his first abroad since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he will also celebrate the centenary of the birth of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Bangladeshi independence leader whose daughter, Sheikh Hasina, is now prime minister .
Ms. Hasina, who is seen by India as an important partner in maintaining regional stability, received Mr. Modi at the airport on Friday morning.
Critics in India and elsewhere have accused Modi’s Hindu nationalist party of fueling religious polarization in India and discriminating against minorities, especially Muslims. In recent weeks, protesters in Bangladesh, mostly Muslim, have asked Modi not to visit and criticized Hasina for inviting him.
Bangladeshi media reported on Friday that members of an Islamic group attacked government buildings, including a police station, in the Hathazari area of Chattogram before the clashes that led to the deaths.
Violence also broke out at the Baitul Mokarram mosque in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, as rival groups of protesters clashed. Police officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, injuring many people, officials and witnesses said.
Protesters also set fire to offices at a railway station in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria, interrupting communications.
Outside the Baitul Mokarram mosque, hundreds of protesters gathered on Friday afternoon. Witnesses said the clashes started after a faction of protesters started shaking their shoes in disdain for Modi, and another group tried to stop them.
Local media said the protesters who tried to prevent shoe shaking were aligned with Hasina’s ruling Awami League party. TV broadcasts showed some protesters throwing stones at the police, who maintained a strong presence near the mosque. A channel reported that at least 40 people were injured in the clashes, including some journalists.
Abdul Mazid, a businessman, said he was trapped in the mosque after trying to escape when violence broke out during prayers. “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 from here.”
After Modi’s arrival, Ms. Hasina told an audience in a parade square in Dhaka that Bangladesh’s relations with India had reached a new peak. “If we go hand in hand, the development of our people will be inevitable,” she said.
While Modi’s trip focuses mainly on Bangladesh’s birthday celebrations, the visit also has political implications in India, where voting begins on Saturday in several state elections, including West Bengal, which borders Bangladesh.
In order to gain Hindu support in this state of battle, Modi is scheduled to visit a Hindu temple outside Dhaka that is sacred to the Matua community in West Bengal. The vote of the Matua sect can decide at least seven seats in a fierce dispute for control of the state assembly.
In a tweet on the night of Thursday before his trip, Modi 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.