Clashes Erupt Over ‘Illegal’ Mobile Business in Dhaka

Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar intersection turned into a battleground as repeated clashes erupted between police and so-called ‘illegal’ mobile phone traders. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and army have also joined police to control the situation.

The confrontation began on Sunday, January 4, when the Mobile Business Community Bangladesh (MBCB) organized a road blockade and sit-in to protest the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system and demand the release of individuals arrested following an attack on the BTRC office. The traders also announced an indefinite closure of all mobile phone shops nationwide.

Families, including women and children, joined the protesters at the Karwan Bazar Circle Fountain around 10:30 a.m. Police dispersed the crowd using batons around 11:30 a.m. Some protesters returned to the street by 12:00 p.m., prompting police to use water cannons. By 1:15 p.m., when the protesters again occupied the road, clashes escalated further, with police employing batons, water cannons, sound grenades, and tear gas. Protesters set fire to paper, cloth, wood, and tires and threw bricks and stones at police. Several arrests were made, and police chased remaining protesters into nearby alleys and shopping complexes.

From 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., heavy confrontations continued near Motaleeb Plaza in Hatirpool, with police again deploying sound grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The unrest caused severe traffic disruptions. Despite the blockade, some authorized mobile shops in markets outside Basundhara City and adjacent Motaleeb Plaza reopened, with police providing security and monitoring the premises in plainclothes.

DBTech/BTO/IK/OR