Dhaka: Hundreds of people protesting in support of Palestine attacked business outlets, including those belonging to multinationals, in different parts of Bangladesh, prompting police to launch raids and arrest 56 people allegedly involved in the vandalism, officials said on Tuesday.
The protest rallies were taken out in different cities on Monday to express solidarity with the Palestinians and condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza.
However, the protests turned violent when mobs started attacking shops and businesses, including outlets of Bata Shoe, KFC and Domino’s Pizza, in Sylhet, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Cumilla and Dhaka, officials said.
Police conducted overnight raids to arrest the individuals involved in attacks on business outlets in different parts of the country, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters.
“As of now, at least 56 people have been arrested in connection with these incidents,” he said, adding that authorities are reviewing video footage to identify more people involved in the vandalism.
He added that these operations will continue until all those responsible for this violence and destruction are apprehended.
Several political outfits, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), right-wing Islamist groups, and left-leaning organisations, continued peaceful demonstrations for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, raising slogans against Israel.
Police maintained a strict vigil, and no violence was reported on Tuesday.
Earlier, the BNP condemned Monday’s violence, saying the government failed to maintain law and order.
“We want to say the government and the law enforcement agencies’ failures’ were visible here,” BNP standing committee member and spokesman Salahuddin Ahmed told a rally staged against Israel at the Dhaka University campus.
The vandalism occurred ahead of a four-day international investment summit hosted by the interim government, which Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will inaugurate on Wednesday.
The summit is aimed at attracting global entrepreneurs as Bangladesh seeks both foreign and domestic investment.
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