GOPALGANJ: Bangl­adesh police said on Thursday they had arrested 20 people, a day after clashes between supporters of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina and security personnel killed at least four people.

The clashes erupted in Hasina’s hometown of Gopalganj on Wednesday after members of her Awami League party tried to foil a rally by the National Citizens Party (NCP), made up of many students who spearheaded the uprising that toppled her government last year.

Bricks, stones and shattered windows littered the area where the clashes occurred. More than 1,500 police, as well as soldiers and border guards, have been deployed in the district to enforce a curfew. “The law and order situation in Gopalganj is currently under control and remains peaceful,” the police said in a statement on Thursday.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh, hailed from Gopalganj and Hasina, his daughter, also contested elections from the district.

Jibitesh Biswas, director of the Gopalganj District Hospital, said on Thursday that four people “were brought in dead” after the clashes. Biswas said shots were also fired in front of the hospital and that at least 18 wounded people were also brought in.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2025