Jubo League activist shot dead as AL, BNP clash

Over removing banners and posters, the activists of the ruling Awami League and BNP yesterday clashed and exchanged bullets in Panchrukhi area of Araihajar upazila, leaving a Jubo League activist dead and 15 others injured.
The dead, Amzad Hossain Mollah, 45, was an activist of the local unit of AL youth front. Police detained 10 people in connection with the incident.
Locals said the supporters of AL lawmaker Nazrul Islam Babu removed banners and posters hung by BNP leader Nazrul Islam Azad at different points in Panchrukhi Bazar a few days ago.
In protest, the BNP activists tore and removed some posters of Babu from the same area around 9:00am yesterday. Following the incident, supporters of Azad and Babu locked in an altercation. Chase and counter chase also took place between the two sides.
At Around 11:00am, Azad men stabbed Babu's supporter Amzad, shot in the leg and took away his licensed pistol.
Later, the two groups, equipped with lethal weapons, attacked each other and traded bullets, leaving at least 15 people from both sides injured, six with bullets.
Critically injured Amzad was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he died soon after admission. Of the injured, two were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital while the rest to different hospitals in Rupganj and Narsingdi.
Five houses were vandalised and set afire during the clash. Traffic on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway was halted for around two hours from 11:30am, creating a long tailback on the highway.
Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Araihajar Police Station, said additional police have been deployed in the area to fend off further untoward incident.