DHAKA, BANGLADESH, 3 February, 2001: Activists belonging to radical Muslim groups have lynched a policeman during violence in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, marring their call for a strike against a ban on religious edicts, or fatwas. Dhaka police have arrested at least 40 people who are thought to be involved in the violence, and have recovered the constable’s body. The groups’ strike call failed to prevent thousands of people from attending a rally in support of last month’s High Court ruling banning fatwas, which had been organized by several nongovernmental organizations. It has been a day of high emotion on the streets of Dhaka, not least because of fears that the pro- and anti-fatwa camps might come into direct conflict. Hindus stand to be caught in the middle of the battles.
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