Assault on FF: UP member held, BCL leader expelled

A union parishd (UP) member was arrested on charge of assaulting a freedom fighter (FF) in Phulbaria upazila on Wednesday.

The arrestee is Mofazzel Hossain, 60, a member of Radhakanai UP in the upazila.

A local Chhatra League leader was also expelled from the organisation in connection with the incident.

A group of some five people, allegedly led by Mofazzel, collected money from locals for new power connection in the area.

When freedom fighter Osman Gani Chowdhury, 86, a retired schoolteacher, protested the incident, they beat up him, said Officer-in-Charge of Phulbaria Police Station Md Firoz Talukder.

Later, the victim’s son Md Golam Rabbani lodged a case with Phulbaria Police Station, accusing some five persons including the UP member Mofazzol Hossain and BCL leader of Phulbaria Degree College unit Mazharul Islam Baitullah, said the OC.

Soon after filing the case, police arrested Mofazzel, the prime accused, from adjacent Trishal upazila.

Later, the arrestee was produced before a court that sent him to jail yesterday.

Police drives are on to arrest the other accused, said the police official.

On Wednesday evening, BCL Phulbaria upazila unit at an emergency meeting expelled Mazharul Islam Baitullah from the organisation as he was found involved in the attack, said its secretary Md Sarwar Hossain.

Meanwhile, protesting the attack on the freedom fighter, Muktijuddho Moncha central unit formed a human chain at Phulbaria upazila headquarters yesterday noon.

The speakers at the programme demanded exemplary punishment of the attackers of Osman Gain.

Freedom fighters and local people also joined the programme. Central leaders of the forum Aminul Islam Bulbul, Iftekhar Alam Risad Ahmed, Imran Hossain and Sohel Ahmed addressed the programme, among others.