DHAKA: At least two persons were killed when police in southwest Bangladesh opened fire on protesters, who were demonstrating against a prison term given to a former leader of Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party, Ghulam Azam.
According to reports, several thousand protesters from the country’s largest party, Jamaat-e-Islaami (JI), went on the rampage in the streets of Satkhira district, attacking police with sticks, machetes and throwing homemade bombs.
On Monday, a war crimes tribunal sentenced 90-year-old JI’s spiritual leader Ghulam Azam to 90 years in prison for masterminding atrocities during the 1971 war of independence.
Azam was found guilty of five charges of planning, conspiracy, incitement, complicity and murder during the war against Pakistan.
He was the fifth person and the fourth Jamaat official convicted by the controversial court set up by the secular government.
