Four killed, 50 hurt as residents and students clash over mosque

DHAKA -- At least four people were killed and another 50 were injured Thursday when students from an Islamic religious school clashed with residents of a government housing complex over a disputed mosque in the Bangladesh capital, police said.

Both sides fought with bamboo sticks, bricks and stones. Witnesses said some security guards at the complex opened fire, and riot police who arrived later used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the two groups, a police officer said.

The clash erupted when residents of the housing complex tried to shut down the mosque, which was built illegally inside the housing complex in Dhaka's Malibagh district several years ago. Students from the nearby seminary resisted the move and tried to break down a wall to take over the mosque, said the officer.