Drama over Quader Mirza ‘suspension’

Noakhali Awami League leaders backtracked from their decision to relieve Abdul Quader Mirza of organisational activities within two hours of issuing the release statement yesterday.

A top leader of the district AL claimed the statement was issued "mistakenly".

It was signed by the district AL President AHM Khairul Anam Chowdhury and its General Secretary Mohammad Ekramul Karim Chowdhury and was issued around 4:00pm yesterday.

The statement said Quader Mirza has been released from all types of the party's organisational functions on charge of delivering indecent speech that went against the party and threatened some party men.

Besides, the district AL president and secretary also recommended in the statement that party chief Sheikh Hasina permanently expel Quader Mirza and cancel his primary membership from the party.

Contacted, Khairul Anam said he earlier signed the statement but later withdrew the decision due to "unavoidable" reasons.

"The statement was issued mistakenly. Now, we are waiting for a decision from our party chief Sheikh Hasina on this matter," he said.

Mohammad Ekramul Karim Chowdhury could not be contacted over phone for his comment.

Quader Mirza termed the district AL committee illegal and said the committee does not have the jurisdiction to take such a decision.

Abdul Quader Mirza, younger brother of AL general secretary Obaidul Quader and elected mayor of Basurhat municipality under Companiganj upazila, has been serving as the vice president of the district unit and a member of executive committee of the upazila unit.

Mirza has lately been delivering speeches against some party men, claiming they were involved in misdeeds and corruption. His remarks have put the AL top brass in an awkward position.

Meanwhile, followers of Mirza yesterday again locked into clashes with police near Companiganj police station yesterday, a day after mayhem in the area.

After the clash, Mirza at a press conference at Rupali Chattar in Companiganj claimed that 15 of his followers were injured.

Earlier on Friday, at least one person died and 50 people were injured in clashes, nine with bullet injuries, between two AL factions over establishing supremacy in the upazila.

One group was led by Mirza and another group was led by Mizanur Rahman Badal, organising secretary of the upazila AL, also a follower of lawmakers Ekramul Karim Chowdhury and Nizam Uddin Hazari.

Immediately after the violence, Mirza called a strike in Companiganj upazila yesterday "protesting the attack on his men" and to press home his previous demands, including an end to corruption and misdeeds by AL men and the transfer of some government officials who were allegedly involved with graft.

In support of the strike, Mirza and his supporters brought out a procession around 7:00am yesterday. Many of his supporters were carrying sticks, said witnesses and police.

Marching on different streets of Basurhat municipality, the procession reached the police station gate. The agitators then tried to enter the police station, but police intercepted them, which triggered a clash, police sources said.

At one stage, police charged batons to disperse them.

Meanwhile, Mirza'a rival group, led by Mizanur Rahman Badal, held a separate press conference at a local AL office in the upazila and demanded the expulsion of Mirza from the party and mayoral post.

In the press conference, Badal claimed that Mirza, who ran in Basurhat municipal poll with the party's symbol, won the election by "vote rigging".

JOURNO DEATH IN VIOLENCE

A local journalist, who was bullet-hit in clashes between the district AL two factions died at a Dhaka hospital yesterday night.

The dead, Borhan Uddin Muzakkir, 30, correspondent of local online portal Barta Bazar and resident of Char Fakira union under Companiganj upazila, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the ICU of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 10:45pm, said Inspector Bacchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH Police Outpost.

Borhan was admitted on Friday night in with a  bullet injury in the throat, said Dr Md Alauddin, resident surgeon at emergency department of DMCH.

Borhan was hit during the Friday clash between two groups of Noakhali AL.

He was initially rushed to Noakhali General Hospital and then referred to DMCH for better treatment as his condition deteriorated.