AL men attack police station

At least 15 people, including three policemen, were injured yesterday when activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League attacked a police station in Noakhali hearing a rumour of a municipal mayor being detained.
Four of the attackers sustained bullet injuries when the law enforcers opened fire to disperse the unruly mob, police said.
Zahirul Haque Raihan, general secretary of Kabirhat upazila Awami League, himself went to Kabirhat Police Station around 1:30am, Officer-in-Charge Mahbub Alam said. Zahirul, Kabirhat municipal mayor, was drunk then and misbehaved with the policemen.
The mayor did not mention why he appeared there, Mahbub said, adding it was probably because two party activists had been detained for their criminal activities.
Policemen tried to calm him down in vain. At one stage Zahirul phoned his supporters and told them to come to the police station, the OC said.
Within a few minutes, as many as 400 activists of BCL and Jubo League, two associate bodies of the ruling Awami League, gathered at the police station, thinking that Zahirul had been detained there, police said. They vandalised windowpanes, doors and furniture.
The law enforcers then fired around 40 shots, leaving four bullet-hit, OC Mahbub said.     
Zahirul, however, claimed that police had held two party supporters at the police station and tortured them.
On information, the mayor went there and requested the policemen to release the activists. But, it was, meanwhile, spread that he had been detained, which aggrieved local people, he added.
Enraged party activists and supporters then arrived at the police station and began an agitation. But the police unexpectedly opened fire at the activists, Zahirul claimed.
Critically injured Shahdat Hossain, vice president of Kabirhat upazila BCL, was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital while three others were admitted to Noakhali Medical College Hospital.
Three constables, who were injured when the attackers hurled brickbats at law enforcers, were admitted to Police Lines Hospital, the OC said.
No case was filed till filing of the report.