Bangladesh rioting over court decision kills 44

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) – Protesters clashed with police for a second day Friday as the death toll rose to at least 44 in clashes triggered by a death sentence given to an Islamic party leader for crimes linked to Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war, police said.

The latest fighting broke out in northern Gainbandha and Chapainawabganj districts, killing two people, police officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not allowed to speak publicly.

Bangladeshi youth march through the streets as they celebrate the death sentence awarded to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, February 28. AP

At least 42 people were killed Thursday in rioting triggered by the death sentence given to Delwar Hossain Sayedee, one of the top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamic party.

In Dhaka, dozens of Jamaat supporters smashed several vehicles in central Malibagh district, witnesses said. Baton-wielding police dispersed the protesters. Jamaat had called for protests after Friday prayers, and authorities responded by dispatching thousands of police and paramilitary troops to clamp down on Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.

Jamaat urged its supporters to converge on mosques to offer a special mass prayer for those killed during the violence Thursday, and there were fears that more confrontations could erupt after Friday prayers. Private Ekattor TV reported that Jamaat supporters set up roadblocks in parts of the country, cutting off travel.

“We must stay alert. Jamaat and its allies are trying to plunge the nation into anarchy,” Junior Law Minister Quamrul Islam said. “We will not allow them to destroy democracy.”

Passions have boiled over in recent weeks as tribunals have tried suspects on accusations they committed crimes during the country’s war for independence from Pakistan. Bangladesh says as many as three million people were killed and 200,000 women raped by Pakistani troops and local collaborators during the fighting. Thousands of students turned a Dhaka intersection into a protest camp last month demanding the execution of one Jamaat leader given a life sentence after his conviction for mass killings.

Sayedee, was sentenced to death for mass killings, rape and atrocities committed during the bloody nine-month war. His supporters responded by pouring into the streets, where they clashed with police, attacked government offices and uprooted railway tracks in parts of the country. Protesters also set fire to dozens of houses belonging to government supporters.

Police responded with bullets and tear gas.