12:00 AM, December 13, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:46 AM, December 13, 2018

More clashes, attacks over electioneering

Violence over electioneering continued for the third consecutive day yesterday with reports of sporadic attacks and clashes in the city and different districts.

The BNP blamed Awami League men for most of the attacks which took place in Dhaka, Chattogram, Gazipur, Cumilla, Joypurhat, Natore, Khulna, Chandpur and Narayanganj district, although AL men denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, police arrested around thirty BNP men, including its central organising secretary Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu, in separate drives in different districts on Tuesday night and yesterday.

An electioneering rally of Afroza Abbas, a BNP candidate for the December 30 general election, allegedly comes under attack in Dhaka on Wednesday, December 12, 2018. Photo: Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

In Dhaka, Chhatra League men allegedly attacked the motorcade of Afroza Abbas, a BNP candidate of Dhaka-9 at around 10:30am, BNP alleged. They damaged the car of the BNP leader, also the wife of BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, and left her driver injured in the incident.

Elsewhere, at least 15 people were injured in a clash between AL and BNP men over pasting of election posters of BNP candidate Kazi Moniruzzaman Monir in Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj yesterday.

The groups armed with sharp weapons locked in clash around 2:00pm in front of Kazi Abdul Hamid High School after Jubo League men obstructed the BNP activists, witnesses said.

Moniruzzaman said they were not being allowed to campaign anywhere and they were attacked or arrested if they tried to do so.

However, Jubo League leaders said the clash ensued as BNP men were making provocative statements.

Moreover, at least five people, including the BNP candidate for Chandpur-1 Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, were injured when ruling party activists vandalised five vehicles of his motorcade yesterday.

After the attack at Sachar Dakkhin Bazar in the upazila at around 3:40pm, Mosharraf left for Dhaka in the afternoon.

Local AL leaders denied their involvement and said supporters of another BNP aspirant who did not get the party nomination carried out the attack.

Elsewhere in Singra upazila in Rajshahi, BNP's Natore-3 candidate Daudar Mahmud, at a press conference, alleged that at least 50 BNP leaders and activists were injured in the last three days in attacks by AL men in the upazila.

"I have submitted over 15 complaints to the assistant returning officer (ARO) of Singra but no action was taken," Mahmud added.

Sushanta Kumar Mahato, ARO and also the UNO of Singra upazila, said they sent police and executive magistrates to the spot upon receiving the complaints but those were found to be untrue.

State minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, also the AL MP nominee for the same constituency, however said AL men did not attack any BNP men.

In Chattogram, BNP standing committee member Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury, also MP candidate for Chattogram-11, yesterday claimed that five of his activists sustained injuries in an attack by Chhatra League men equipped with sticks during campaigning at around 2:00pm.

“Instead of capturing the attackers, police picked one of our activists MA Musa from the spot,” he added.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadarghat Police Station Nezam Uddin, however, told The Daily Star that they had not received any information of such an attack but had arrested Musa as he was an accused in two cases.

Besides in Sirajganj, a crude bomb was charged targeting an AL leader's house at the Dhukria village early yesterday, a day after an attack on a Jubo Dal leader's house in the same village.

Although nobody was hurt, a tense situation is prevailing in the area.

Furthermore, in Joypurhat, a man was beaten and left injured while he was returning home after pasting posters of a BNP candidate in Kalai upazila on Tuesday night.

Local BNP leaders blamed AL men for the attack but AL leaders denied the allegation.

Mahabub Chowdhury, general secretary of Cumilla sadar south BNP, was attacked allegedly by local Awami league activists at Cumilla Judge Court gate at 10:00am yesterday.

Local BNP MP candidate Hazi Aminur Rashid Yeasin alleged that the attackers even tried to snatch Mahabub away in a black microbus.

In Gazipur, two union level BNP leaders were injured in an attack allegedly by supporters of the local AL candidate. The attack stemmed over pasting of posters in Kaliganj upazila's Noapara area.

Besides, five supporters of Islami Andolon, including an MP candidate, were injured in an attack allegedly by Chhatra League activists at Platinum Jute mill area under Khulna City Corporation yesterday evening.

The attack took place near BIDC road of the area while Islami Andolon activists were distributing leaflets and holding a public meeting, Maulana Muzammil Haque, the MP candidate said.

Mosharaf Hossain, OC of Khalishpur thana, claimed to The Daily Star that two motorcyclists got into a scuffle with the Islami Andolon supporters over them blocking a major portion of the road for their meeting.

Earlier, two Jubo League and Awami League leaders were killed in Noakhali and Faridpur on the second day of the election campaign.


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