Dhaka: Bangladesh police used tear gas and sound grenades on Friday to disperse hundreds of members of the banned militant group Hizb-ut-Tahrir, who gathered in Dhaka to demand the replacement of the country’s secular democracy with an Islamic caliphate.
The demonstrators, chanting “Khilafat, Khilafat,” attempted to march from the Baitul Mukarram Mosque after Friday prayers, defying police barricades. Despite prior warnings from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) against public gatherings by banned organizations, the group proceeded with their “March for Khilafat” procession.
Eyewitnesses reported that police struggled to control the crowd and had to resort to dispersal measures. A senior DMP official confirmed, “The protest was unauthorized, and necessary action was taken to maintain public order.”
Hizb-ut-Tahrir, banned in Bangladesh since October 2009 for posing a threat to national security, has frequently organized protests despite government restrictions. The London-based group seeks to establish a pan-Islamic state but claims to pursue its objectives through peaceful means.
Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country of 170 million people, is currently facing heightened political unrest. The situation has remained tense since an interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, took charge following mass protests that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out of the country.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, emphasizing that any further violations of the public gathering ban will be met with strict action.
