15 hurt as JP men clash in Rangpur
At least 30 Jatiya Party activists were injured in Rangpur yesterday afternoon in a clash between the supporters of JP chief HM Ershad and party lawmaker Moshiur Rahman Ranga.
The clash began when supporters of Ranga allegedly attacked a procession brought out by supporters of Ershad to protest Ranga's removal from the JP presidium, said party insiders.
However, hours after the intra-party clash, Ranga, also state minister for LGRD, was seen taking tea with Ershad at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka in the evening prior to the JP chief's flight to China. Ranga, along with other JP leaders, went to the airport to see Ershad off.
On September 10, Ershad relieved Ranga of the party's presidium post and disbanded the party's Rangpur district and city unit committees, the electoral constituency of Ranga.
Ershad also announced separate convening committees for Rangpur district and city units.
On Friday, convening committees of both district and city units announced a rally yesterday at Rangpur Public Library ground.
On the same day, activists loyal to Ranga also called another rally at the same venue protesting Ranga's removal from the presidium post and dissolution of previous district and city unit committees.
Sensing an intra-party clash, the district administration on Friday night imposed section 144 from 6:00am to 6:00pm yesterday at the Public Library ground and its adjacent areas to avert any untoward incidents.
Due to the imposition of section 144, both JP factions postponed their rallies.
The convening committees, however, brought out a procession from Ershad's paternal home in the New Senpara area.
The supporters of Ranga allegedly hurled several crude bombs at the procession, reports our Rangpur correspondent, quoting eyewitness.
"The procession came under attack when it was crossing Shapla Chattar area at around 12:30pm leaving at least 15 JP men injured," said Hossain Mokbul Shahriar, nephew of Ershad and member secretary of JP Rangpur district convening committee.
Ershad's supporters too counterattacked supporters of Ranga with sharp weapons, turning the Shapla Chattar area into a battle ground for about 15 minutes.
Samsul Haque, joint general secretary of the dissolved district Jatiya Party refuted the allegation, saying none of them were involved in the attack.
"They [Ershad's supporters] blasted crude bombs and blamed us for it," he said.
The injured were taken to the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital.
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