Highway blocked as 'rebel' AL candidate's motorcade attacked

Supporters of Syed Ehsan Abdullah, a 'rebel' Awami League (AL) activist contesting as independent candidate for the post of chairman in Ghatail upazila parishad, kept busy Tangail-Mymensingh highway blocked for an hour yesterday morning in protest at attacks on his election camps and motorcade.

“Unidentified criminals vandalised my election camps and removed banners and posters at Lakkhindar, Sagardighi and Rasulpur unions on Friday. They also threatened my workers not to conduct election campaigns,” Ehsan said in a complaint lodged with the local police station

“The criminals attacked my motorcade at Dhalapara and vandalised two cars when I was on an election campaign today [Saturday]. The attack left three people injured,” he added. 

Ehasn, an industrialist, is son of Tuhin Abdullah, vice-president of Tangail district unit of AL.

Being informed, supporters of Ehsan demonstrated in the upazila headquarters and blocked the busy Tangail-Mymensingh highway in Bus Stand area from 8:00am to 9:00am, causing kilometres-long tailback with hundreds of vehicles stuck on both directions.

Later, the agitators went to the office of the upazila nirbahi officer and staged a sit-in programme there. 

They left the place after officials of local police and civil administrations assured them of taking action over the incident after investigation.

Elections to 12 upazila parishads in Tangail will be held today.

Six candidates are contesting for the chairman post in Ghatail upazila. They are AL-nominated Shahidul Islam Lebu, party 'rebels' Arif Hossain, Shahidul Islam Hasting, Shafiqul Islam Khan and Syed Ehsan Abdullah, and Jaker Party-nominated candidate Moniruzzaman Khan.