DHAKA, 30 December 2005 — Bangladesh police in the capital yesterday warned potential “unruly” New Year’s Eve revelers to curb their enthusiasm.
“It is seen that unruly youths publicly drink alcohol and are engaged in objectionable activities as they celebrate the English New Year,” Dhaka police chief Mizanur Rahman said in a statement.
“Stern action will be taken against the young men who would be engaged in these immoral and objectionable activities,” Rahman said.
He said medical and police patrol teams would be deployed in the city to take “on-the-spot legal action against drunks” on Dec. 31.
Police said they would particulary target public celebrations that include singing and dancing near the Dhaka University campus.
After years of New Year’s trouble as Dhaka residents sang and danced into the night, authorities came down hard on celebrations in the past two years to ensure generally peaceful street parties.
In another development, three people, including a schoolboy, were killed and 20 others injured by bullets as police fired to quell violent villagers amid a fierce clash at Bhurkapara in Daulatpur sub-district in Kuyshtia distrrict, police said yesterday.
Witnesses and hospital sources said that a total of 30 people— 20 villagers, nine policemen and one magistrate — were wounded in the fighting over the seizure of unauthorized power-crushers operated in a sugar-mill zone.
“All the 20 locals wounded in the encounter suffered either rifle or rubber bullets,” said a spot account of the incident.
The deceased were identified as school student Ratan, son of Bhogol Mondol, and farmers Azam, 32, and Mizanur Rahman, 25.
According to the sources, the 20 local people, including a girl, were injured in police firing while nine cops and a magistrate were injured by brickbats hurled by the villagers.
