2 BCL men killed in Khulna, Noakhali

A Chhatra League leader, who was injured in a clash in Koyra upazila on Sunday, died yesterday morning while another BCL leader injured in an attacked allegedly carried out by Shibir men died of his injuries yesterday afternoon.

Hadiuzzaman Russell, 28, general secretary of Koyra BCL, was wounded when BCL men and villagers of Bailarania clashed over construction of a bridge. Eight others were also hurt. 

Quoting locals, Rabiul Islam, officer-in-charge of Koyra Police Station, told The Daily Star that the bridge was being constructed over the Batikata canal in Bailarania village. 

Two locals Tuhin Hossain and his brother Milon Hossain, whose house is nearby, asked the construction workers to stop the work on Sunday morning, alleging that the bridge was not built on the right place and substandard materials were being used.   

In the afternoon, Hadiuzzaman went to the spot with some BCL activists. They picked up Tuhin from his house and beat him up mercilessly. 

Tuhin's brother Milon and locals attacked the BCL men. Then a clash broke out between the BCL men and the villagers that left nine, including Hadiuzzaman, injured.  

Hadiuzzaman was rushed to the local upazila health complex and later moved to Khulna Medical College Hospital. He died on the way to Dhaka yesterday morning.

Hadiuzzaman is a friend of Harunur Rashid whose construction firm is building the bridge, said Abu Sayeed Khan, vice-president of Khulna district BCL.

The other injured took treatment at the local upazila health complex.

Additional police have been deployed in the village after the incident, OC Rabiul added. 

Police detained Tuhin and his brother Milon.

Abdus Sattar Par, chairman of Baghali Union Parishad, said the bridge is near Tuhin's house. He heard that there was a quarrel between the manager of the construction firm and locals over building of the bridge.

According to the upazila administration, HH Enterprise, the construction firm, is building the bridge at a cost of Tk 24 lakh.  

Firm owner Harun, also a former joint secretary of Khulna district BCL, said one Moniruzzaman from Koyra upazila was constructing the bridge with his contractor's licence.  

He dismissed the allegation of irregularities in the work.

Talking to this correspondent, Moniruzzaman said he had no investment in the construction work. He claimed that he was just overseeing the work.

BCL MAN KILLED IN NOAKHALI

A BCL leader was killed and at least 10 activists injured in an attack reportedly carried out by Islami Chhatra Shibir, the pro-Jamaat-e-Islami student body, in Noakhali's Begumganj upazila yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Rakibul Hossain, 20, joint general secretary of BCL's Ulyapur union unit, our local correspondent reports quoting Arifur Rahman Mahmud, chairman of Ulyapur Union Parishad.

A group of Shibir activists equipped with firearms and sharp weapons launched an attack on the BCL men at Ulyapur Bazar around 9:00pm on Sunday, leaving 11 BCL men injured, Md Alamgir Hossain, superintendent of police in Noakhali, said.

The injured were admitted to the emergency room of the Noakhali General Hospital around 10:00pm on Sunday night with bullet wounds, said Syed Mohiuddin, resident medical officer of the hospital.

Because of the critical nature of Rakibul's injuries, he was was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the capital, where he was declared dead around 2:30pm today.

A case was lodged with Begumganj Model Police Station and police have already arrested four Shibir activists in this connection, Harun-Ur-Rashid, officer-in-charge of the police station, said.