Clash in Dhaka: Tear Gas and Tensions Over Islamist March

In Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, police used tear gas and sound grenades to disperse a rally by the banned militant group Hizb-ut-Tahrir. The group was demanding the replacement of the secular government with an Islamic caliphate. The government had previously banned such public gatherings.

In Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, authorities resorted to forceful measures to control a protest by the banned group Hizb-ut-Tahrir on Friday. The group, defying a government ban, was attempting a march to advocate for replacing the nation's secular democracy with an Islamic caliphate.

Witnesses reported that the police employed tear gas and sound grenades against the marching activists, who had gathered at the Baitul Mukarram Mosque while chanting “Khilafat, Khilafat.” This action followed earlier warnings by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police against such meetings by outlawed organizations.

Banned in Bangladesh since 2009 due to national security concerns, Hizb-ut-Tahrir aims to form a pan-Islamic state through peaceful means. The country continues to face political tensions dating back to an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which assumed power amid previous unrest.