At least 15 people, including five cops, were injured as the police and bauls clashed at a Narsindi village on Sunday.
The bauls alleged that 10 of them were injured in police firing during the clash at Darikandi village of Raipura upazila.
Two of them were critically injured, said relatives of injured Jalal Baul.
Local people said that the bauls led by Abdul Hadi of the village organised a Chehlam and two-day Baul festival at the house of Abdul Khaleque Fakir, who died 40 days ago.
A large number of people gathered at the festival and local vendors also set up stalls there, they said.
At about 5:00pm, a team police allegedly swooped on the festival and damaged the stage, chairs and tents, triggering the clash witnesses said.
The police opened fire inuring 10 bauls while five cops were injured stones and spears, they said. Local people rushed the injured to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital.
Injured bauls Jalal Uddin and Shamsu Mia were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition, said on-duty medical officer at the sadar hospital.
Organiser Abdul Hadi said that they obtained a verbal permission from the police to organise the festival.
‘Police attacked us without any provocation,’ he said.
Raipura police station officer-in-charge Azharul Islam said that the bauls organised the festival without permission.
‘We went to disperse the gathering, but the bauls attacked us injuring five cops including sub-inspector Rafizul Islam,’ he claimed. ‘The police opened fire in self-defence,’ he said.