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A police officer was beaten by protesters after being knocked to the ground during clashes surrounding a garment workers’ demonstration in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Tuesday.
A video of the incident has already circulated on social media.
The incident took place around noon in front of a supermarket on Kalshi Road, about 200 metres from Mirpur-11 metro station.
A woman filmed the attack from the balcony of a nearby building. Speaking on condition of anonymity, she said several police officers entered Road 4/2 in Block B of Mirpur-12 while chasing protesters to disperse them. At one point, the officers became surrounded by demonstrators.
According to the eyewitness, protesters hurled bricks and stones at the police from different directions, forcing officers to seek shelter in nearby houses and shops.
While several officers managed to take refuge, one was unable to escape and was surrounded by protesters, who knocked him to the ground and beat him.
An employee of the supermarket said a group of people suddenly started assaulting the police officer. The shop staff then pulled down the shutters and moved upstairs for safety.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) of the Public Order Management Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Touhidul Arif, said the situation had been brought under control.
He alleged that some miscreants had attempted to create disorder and erected barricades on Mirpur-11 Road. Police had taken firm action to restore order, he said, warning that tougher measures could be taken if necessary.
The police official also questioned whether those still participating in the demonstration were genuine garment workers, suggesting that some might have other motives.
He said protesters had thrown bricks and stones at police, but the exact number of injured officers and arrested individuals could not immediately be confirmed.
Arif said traffic had returned to normal and police patrols were continuing in nearby alleys to prevent further unrest.
He added that police had also seen a video showing an officer being beaten with sticks in the area earlier in the morning and that necessary action would be taken.
The identities of the protesters and whether any outside groups were instigating the unrest would be established through investigation, he added.