AL men ransack Barisal BNP office, set it afire

Ruling party men allegedly vandalised and set fire to Barisal BNP office complex on the city's Aswini Kumar Hall premises yesterday protesting the bomb blast near the Awami League (AL) office in Dhaka that left four people wounded.

Witnesses said a group of Jubo League and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men led by district unit Jubo League President Zakir Hossain and BCL city unit convener Ziaur Rahman swooped on the BNP office at about 6:00pm.

After breaking the entrance gate and doors of the three-storied building, the Juba League and BCL men damaged its flag stands and different rooms. They also set fire to the rooms and furniture and left the place after about 20 minutes.

Police said just before the vandalism, Jubo League and BCL brought out separate rallies in the area protesting the bomb blast near the AL office in Dhaka. At least four people, including two AL leaders, were wounded in the bomb explosion at Gulistan yesterday afternoon.

When contacted, OC Shahiduzzaman of Kotwali Model Police Station told The Daily Star that they saw that the attack was carried out from two processions but they could not find out the persons involved in it.

Witnesses said four to five police personnel were on duty beside the BNP office during the vandalism but they did nothing against it.

Local people doused the flame before the fire service reached there and admitted one street urchin Abdur Rahim, 8, who was injured in a stampede during the attack, to a hospital of the city in critical condition.

Local BNP and its front organisation brought out a protest procession on the city roads and held a rally in front of their damaged office at about 7:00pm. They condemned the attack on their office and demanded punishment to the attackers.

Lawmaker and district unit BNP convener Majibor Rahman Sarwar blamed AL for the attack and demanded exemplary punishment to the persons responsible for it.

He said Barisal unit BNP will hold an emergency meeting today to decide further course of action regarding the attack on their office.

Barisal City Corporation Mayor and AL Leader Shawkat Hossain Hiron said the persons involved in the vandalism would be identified and punished.

The OC said no case was filed with the police in this connection till filing this report at 9:00pm.

"We will take actions against the persons responsible for the vandalism after an investigation once a case is lodged with our police station," the OC said.

Police cordoned off the area soon after the incident.