Islamist protests rage over Prothom Alo     Dhaka, Sept 28 (bdnews24.com) – Hundreds of Islamist protesters took out processions from the Baitul Mokarram after Friday prayers to renew demand for a ban on daily Prothom Alo. The demonstrators took processions from the north gate of the national mosque to Paltan defying the emergency rules that bar street agitation. The demand for ban came after the largest-selling Bangla-language daily recently carried a rogue cartoon strip in its satire magazine that hurt religious sensibilities. Some agitators put up a barricade on the road at Paltan crossing and burnt an effigy of the Prothom Alo editor. bdnews24.com staff correspondent Golam Mortuza Antu said the demonstrators carried banners of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Khelafat Andolon, Islami Oikya Andolon and Islami Chhatra Majlish. They chanted slogans by loudspeaker. Riot police cordoned the entire stretch to avoid any untoward incident. Three organisations—Khelafat Andolon, Islami Oikya Andolon and Islami Chhatra Majlish—with separate processions went to the Paltan crossing police box. Later the demonstrators changed their minds and moved back to the Baitul Mokarram. However, the Hizb ut-Tahrir procession tried to go to the Prothom Alo office at Karwan Bazar through the Paltan crossing. Police obstructed the protesters when they reached Bijoy Nagar Water Tank. Joint coordinator of Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh Kazi Morshedul Haq spoke through a loudspeaker tied to a rickshaw. In his brief speech, Morshed said: "The government is not with the people and sided with the Prothom Alo. That's why the paper is not banned yet." He warned that its consequences would be severe. The protesters staged a sit-in on the road through Paltan until 3pm blocking traffic. At about 2.30pm, the blockaders burnt an effigy of Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman. On last Friday, some organisations including Hizbut Tahrir brought out processions from the Baitul Mokarram to lay siege to the Prothom Alo but the police clubbed them away. bdnews24.com/gma/br/eh/ad/bd/1634 hours