At least 13 policemen, including an officer-in-charge, were beaten to death at Enayetpur police station in Sirajganj today.

Police headquarters said in a press release that prisons carried out the brutal attack.

It said commander Abdur Razzak was among those killed.

Mohammad Hannan Miah, Additional Superintendent (Crime) of Sirajganj Police, said a mob tried to attack the police station and police opened fire and fired tear gas to disperse them.

“At one stage the officers there thought they were safe. But hundreds of people made a sudden attack on the station,” says Hannan.

They have so far recovered the bodies of 13 policemen, including the officer-in-charge, four sub-inspectors, one assistant sub-inspector and seven constables, he said, adding that the attackers also burnt the police station.

Police sources said eight bodies were found near a mosque, three in a pond and one in a field. Another body was found hanging from a tree. Most of the bodies did not have their shirts on.

“We are checking how many people were on duty at the police station and if anyone is missing,” Hannan said.

He said at least 15 officers were in hospital. Twenty others were also treated in hospital.

He said they gained control of the station with the help of the army around 19:00.

Locals said a group of protesters took out the procession in the morning and police dispersed them by firing shots and tear gas. This infuriated the locals and the protestors who at around 1pm attacked the police station.

Meanwhile, another policeman was killed when the Eliotganj Highway Police Station in Cumilla was attacked, police headquarters said.

The agitators attacked the police station at around 1:30 p.m. They beat up policemen there and set fire to the station. Many officers went to the roof of the station to save themselves.

Highway DIG Eastern Zone Khairul Alam told The Daily Star that Constable Ershad was killed.

Firearms kept at Hatikumrul Highway Police Station in Sirajganj were looted, said Officer-in-Charge Abdul Wadud.

He said that many protesters suddenly attacked the police station and assaulted policemen inside the police station. He could not say how many guns were taken.

The station was also burned down.

Meanwhile, police sources claimed that criminals attacked a vehicle carrying arms and ammunition from Netrakona Police Lines and took arms and ammunition.

Several senior officials at the police headquarters said today that they have never seen such attacks on the police.

At least 300 police officers were injured in attacks on facilities belonging to the police.

Police headquarters said at least four offices of the Inspector General of Police, 20 police stations, two police posts and a shooting range were vandalized and set on fire across the country.

They said SP offices in Narayanganj, Bogura, Pabna and Sirajganj were attacked.

Jatrabari and Khilgaon police stations in Dhaka; Tangail Gorai Main Road Police Station; Dupachachia and Sadar police stations in Bogura; Sherpur Police Station; Joypurhat Sadar Police Station; Cumilla Eliotganj Highway Police Station; Rangpur Gongachara, Mithapukur, Pirgachha, Pirganj, Badarganj and Gongachora Police Stations; Brahmanbaria Sadar and Ashuganj Police Station; Sirajganj Enayetpur, Ullapara and Shahjadpur Police Stations; and Dinajpur Sadar police station were among those attacked, according to a press release from police headquarters.

Naruli police outpost in Sherpur, Madhabpur outpost in Habiganj and police office in Mymensingh were also attacked, the release added.

In Old Dhaka, protesters vandalized four police vehicles and two prison vans on the premises of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court at noon. They also torched a police car near Roy Saheb Bazar in the city.

Protesters set fire to a police car near Madrasa Bazar in Narail. The police later reached the spot and used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.

Narail’s Additional Superintendent of Police Tarek Al Mehdi said everything was under control, adding that five officers were injured after they were hit by pieces of bricks.

The attacks come on the first day of a call for nationwide non-cooperation by organizers of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement on Saturday.

Earlier, four police officers and one Ansar member were killed in violence since July 16.

The three deceased are Inspector Masud Parvez Bhuiyan, Assistant Sub-Inspector Muktadir and Nayek Gias Uddin.

The deceased Ansar member was identified as Jewel Sheikh.

On Friday, police constable Suman Gharami was beaten to death in Khulna.