'Ex-AL MP's men' attack Haji Selim's supporters

Three supporters of independent lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim were injured in an attack allegedly launched by the people loyal to former Awami League lawmaker Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin in the capital's Azimpur yesterday.

The incident took place centring on a dispute over controlling a kitchen market on the footpath in Chhapra Mosque area around noon, said a police official seeking anonymity.

Critically injured Shahbuddin Shabu, 35, a TV cable service provider who is loyal to Haji Selim, has been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Two other injured persons, Rubel, 22, and Nasir, 25, were given primary aid, said police.

Haji Selim's personal secretary Arman Hossain told The Daily Star that many locals have complained to the lawmaker that they could not move on the footpath as the kitchen market occupied it.

Shabu and some other supporters of Selim removed the kitchen market around five days back as per the instruction of Selim to "clear the way", but some shops were set up in kitchen market on the footpath yesterday.

When Shabu and others went there to observe the situation, a group of 20 to 25 supporters of Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin suddenly attacked them, Arman said.

Haji Selim along with his associates visited Shabu at DMCH yesterday afternoon.

Mohibullah, sub-inspector of Lalbagh Police Station, said injured Shabu's close associates damaged the newly built shops at the site around 5:00pm yesterday.

Following the incident, police detained a woman named Bristi, 23, on the charge of working as an informer of the attackers, he said.

When contacted, Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin told The Daily Star that he did not know who attacked Shabu and others.

He also said he was not involved in the “politics of terrorism”.