Stumbling start to BNP council

Followers of BNP Joint Secretary General Abdullah Al Noman rampage through the Institute of Engineers in Chittagong yesterday during the party's port city unit council. Photo: Zobaer Hossain Sikder

The council of Chittagong City unit Bangladesh Nationalist Party was postponed amid a series of intra-party clashes in the port city yesterday.
The council was scheduled to start at Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) auditorium around 10:30am, 12 years after one such council held in 1997.
BNP chairperson's Adviser Brigadier General (retd) ASM Hannan Shah and BNP Vice Chairman M Morshed Khan took seats at the venue with council president and Chittagong City BNP Convenor Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair.
Chittagong City BNP joint convenors Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Wahidul Alam, Shamsul Alam and Dostagir Chowdhury were also present.
But the council was foiled immediately after it had started around 11:00am. BNP Joint Secretary General Abdullah Al Noman along with over 1000 activists stormed into the venue before the national and party flags could be hoisted.
Earlier in the morning, Noman called an unscheduled gathering of his followers in front of Nasiman Bhaban City BNP Office.
Activists loyal to Noman carried out massive ransacking and attacked participants in the council that resulted in a clash leaving at least 10 persons injured.
They captured the venue and kept all the leaders including chief guest Hannan Shah and inaugurator M Morshed Khan besieged for over an hour. They chanted slogan for Noman encircling the leaders on the stage during all this time.
The chaos and clashes forced all the leaders leave the venue around 12:15pm when Noman's men also ransacked the stage.
After Hannan Shah and Morshed Khan were gone, BNP Joint Secretary General Goyeshwar Roy, who was responsible for holding the councils in Chittagong division, BNP Chittagong divisional Organising Secretary Mohammad Shahjahan and Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal President Barkat Ullah Bulu sought to reorganise the leaders to begin the council again.
However, they succeeded in bringing the leaders of both the groups to the venue again. As the dais and stage were smashed, the leaders made brief speeches standing on chairs.
Goyeshwar took the microphone first to address and conduct the council. After that, Mir Nasir, Shahjahan, Barkat Ullah, Wahidul Alam and Noman had spoken one by one at the invitation of Goyeshwar before Amir Khosru made his presidential speech concluding the failed event.
Amir Khosru in his speech said the party was now passing through a crucial time of transition and urged all the party men to remain united rising above personal interest and giving priority to party.
He demanded the party high command punish those responsible for creating chaos. Talking to the journalists Khosru claimed that the council was "partially successful".
While talking to The Daily Star Khosru said, "As hosts we wanted to hold the council peacefully. But everyone present at the venue witnessed what happened and who should be held responsible for it."
"We would expect the party high command to take stern action against those who were responsible for the attack on the council."
Noman in his speech said he was willing to hold the council after resolving the disputes over thana committees.
"However, at the call of the party chairperson I agreed to join today's [Monday] council. Accordingly I addressed a gathering of aggrieved party men at Nasiman Bhaban in the morning. I pacified them and came here to join the council in a peaceful atmosphere," said Noman.
"But I felt insulted when I was barred from entering the venue," alleged Noman.
BNP PRESS BRIEFING
Later in the evening at a press briefing Goyeshwar Roy said the disputes over thana committees in Chittagong and elsewhere in the country would be resolved before the party's central council on December 8.
Waving aside possibility of forming a probe body on the incident at Chittagong city unit council, he said senior leaders and everyone else witnessed what happened. So it would not be tough to find out the facts, he added.
On the party's port city unit committee, Goyeshwar Roy said, "The committee would be formed in the light of today's [Monday] incident and through organisational procedures in time."
Mohammad Shahjahan and Barkat Ullah Bulu were also present at the press briefing held at the Chittagong Club.
COMMITTEE FORMED TO TAKE ACTION
A meeting of the National Standing Committee of the BNP last night discussed the clashes in Chittagong and decided to take necessary actions.
A committee headed by the party secretary general has been formed which will take necessary steps after having discussions with its leaders in Chittagong.