News Desk :
At least 105 people were injured in separate clashes among activists of the ruling Awami League (AL), BNP and police in Munshiganj, Chattogram and Khulna on Friday.
In Munshiganj: A rally of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came under attack in Munshiganj’s Sreenagar upazila on Friday morning.
BNP claimed at least 50 persons including the party’s member-secretary of upazila unit were injured in the attack.
BNP alleged that the ruling Awami League’s associate bodies Chharta League and Jubo League carried out the attack in presence of police.
Locals said leaders and activists of BNP and associate bodies thronged the Sreenagar-Dohar bypass area in the morning to join their scheduled programme protesting the price hike of essential commodities. The BNP men brought out a procession at around 10 in the morning. BCL also brought out a procession at the same time.
BNP men alleged that BCL men attacked them without any incitement. The ruling party men randomly beat upazila BNP’s
member secretary Hafizul Islam Khan, Mahila Dal leader Selina Rina, upazila Jubo Dal’s president Jaynal Abedin, Jubo Dal leader Masud Rana, BNP leader Mamun, Abul Mridha, Md Roni, Azim, Babul Bepari, Kawsar Hossain, Abul Kalam, Tanvir Hasan, Rokeya Begum and others, BNP men alleged.
Hafizul Islam Khan told the media that BCL and Jubo League men attacked their peaceful procession with local and sharp weapons at the behest of policemen present there.
He said 50 BNP men were injured and 25 of them were treated in upazila health complex.
Sreenagar upazila BCL’s general secretary Fahim Islam said BNP men attacked a mourning procession of BCL brought out on Sreenagar bypass road to mark the month of mourning.
He denied that the BCL initiated the attack.
Officer-in-charge of Sreenagar police station Md Aminul Islam said the clash ensued as stones were pelted at BCL men from BNP’s procession.
He denied BNP’s allegation of abetting BCL men.
In Chattogram: At least 40 people, including 10 cops, were injured as the activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and police embroiled in a clash in Kalipur area under Banshkhali upazila in Chattogram on Friday.
The clash took place as police blocked a rally in Kalipur area at about 4:00pm, witnesses said.
They said that the BNP activists locked in an altercation with police and later locked in a clash there.
They said that the police opened fire to disperse the BNP activists.
Md Abu Sufian, convener of Chattogram south district unit of BNP, claimed that police opened fire at the BNP rally without any reason.
Meanwhile, at least 30 BNP activists received bullet injuries as police opened fire on them, the BNP leader claimed.
However, he couldn’t provide the identity of the injured BNP activists immediately.
Md Humayun Kabir, assistant superintendent (Anwara circle) of Chattogram district police, told the media that at least 10 cops were injured as BNP activists hurled stones at them.
‘BNP activists suddenly attacked us from a rally. We shot in the sky to save ourselves,’ the police official claimed.
In Khulna: At least 15 activists of the ruling Awami League and opposition BNP were injured in a clash between the rival parties in Khulna on Thursday, reports UNB.
Around 7pm on Thursday, the AL’s Dighalia union unit was holding a programme near Pother Bazar intersection where the local unit of the BNP had also been holding a rally at the same time.
As BNP members tried to move ahead in a procession through the area, a clash ensued between the activists of the two parties in front of the AL office. The groups attacked each other with brick chips.
Later police soon took control of the situation, said Pratap Ghosh, sub-inspector of Dighalia police station.
Khan Najrul Islam, president of Dighalia AL unit, claimed that BNP activists attacked his party members, leaving seven of them hurt. “They have been admitted to upazila health complex and Khulna Medical College and Hospital.”
Meanwhile, Amir Ejaz Khan, convener of the district BNP, claimed that eight of his party members were injured as AL activists attacked them while leaving after a rally.
