Two BCL men stabbed in Cox's Bazar, Satkhira

Two ruling party men sustained stab injuries in separate incidents at Cox's Bazar and Satkhira in last two days.

Hasan Tareq, joint secretary of Cox's Bazar city unit Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the pro-Awami League student body, was taking tea with fellow activists in Panbazar area in the town around 1:30am yesterday.

Some other youths led by Zia Uddin were also taking tea there. At one stage, both Tareq and Zia locked in an altercation over spilling water from the glass. During the altercation, one of Zia's associates stabbed Tareq in his chest, said Shakil Azam, general secretary of the city unit BCL.

He was rushed to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital and later shifted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, Shakil added.

Contacted, Zia denied his involvement in the incident and claimed that some people were falsely implicating him and his associates with the incident.

City unit BCL organising secretary Hasan Mehedi Rahman said Tareq had no rivalry with Zia. He suspects a vested quarter used Zia against Tareq.

Fariduddin Khandaker, officer-in-charge of Cox's Bazar model police, said they were conducting drives to arrest the accused.

In Satkhira, an unidentified attacker stabbed Sardar Mashiar Rahman, a vice-chairman aspirant of Tala upazila parishad and former president of the upazila unit BCL, on Shaheen Nazmul Sarani in the town on Tuesday night.

The victim was talking with some of his party colleagues near the Red Crescent office around 10:00pm when the attacker stabbed him from behind and ran away, said Shimul Hossain, victim's cousin.

He was taken to Satkhira Sadar Hospital and later shifted to Khulna Medical College Hospital.

Mostafizur Rahman, OC of Tala police, said they were trying to trace the attacker although no case was filed as of 7:00 last night.

Locals say rivalry has been brewing between Mashiar and incumbent Vice-chairman Nazrul Islam over the upcoming upazila election.