Thousands of protesters in Bangladesh clashed with police in a bid to seize a suspect accused of raping a four-year-old girl, officials said on Friday.
In recent months, the South Asian country has seen a spike in reported cases of violence against women and children, fuelling widespread anger.
Police said the suspect, Monir Hossain, was detained by locals in Bangladesh’s second-largest city of Chattogram and was being handed over to the authorities on Thursday when tensions boiled over among the roughly 5,000 people present.
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Crowds surrounded the police vehicle and attempted to seize Hossain, prompting officers to deploy reinforcements and fire tear gas.
The clashes lasted nearly six hours and a police vehicle was torched.
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“The situation is now under control, and the perpetrator will be taken to court today,” Chattogram Metropolitan Police spokesman Aminur Rashid said.
The four-year-old was undergoing hospital treatment.