20 hurt as Muslim sects clash over Bangladesh mosque

DHAKA - At least 20 people were injured in clashes between members of two Muslim sects seeking control of a mosque in Bangladesh’s southeastern Chittagong district Friday, police said.

Police arrested 10 people in Patiya after lengthy clashes between Wahabi and Sunni sect members. During the extended fighting, people set fire to shops and homes of opponents and attacked each other with sticks.

Patiya is some 228 km southeast of the capital, Dhaka.

The groups were fighting to take control over Baitul Ekram Mosque. The clash ensued before midday Friday prayers when members of the two sects tried to offer their weekly prayer at the disputed mosque, defying a verbal ban by local authorities.

Police have set up a temporary camp beside the mosque in an effort to get the two groups to work out a peaceful solution to their dispute.

“We have invited both groups for negotiation to settle the dispute,” said an on-duty police officer at Patiya police station.