BCL leader killed as AL men clash

A local leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League was stabbed to death by activists of a faction of ruling Awami League in Rangunia upazila of Chittagong Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as Rashed Chowdhury, 26, relief and disaster management secretary of the AL-backed student body's Chittagong district (north) unit.
Police yesterday arrested three persons in this connection.
M Monzur Morshed, officer-in-charge of Rangunia Police Station, said the murder had taken place following a clash between two AL factions -- one led by Chairman of Rajanagar Union Parishad Jamal Uddin Mostafa Jahangir and the other by Milton Chowdhury, AL president of Islampur Union.
Supporters of both the groups were locked in a clash at Ranirhat Bazar around 10:30pm. On information, police went to the spot and dispersed the activists around 11:15pm.
The OC said victim Rashed, who was loyal to Milton group, came under attack when he was returning home around 11:30pm. Some unruly AL men intercepted his motorcycle at Madhyam Ghagra village and stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving him seriously injured.
Rashed died on the way to Chittagong Medical College Hospital shortly after midnight. The body was sent to the hospital morgue for an autopsy.
There had been a longstanding conflict between Jamal Uddin and Milton over establishing supremacy in the area, said the OC quoting locals.
Bakhtiar Sayed Iran, president of BCL Chittagong district (north) unit, however, claimed that BNP men were behind the killing.
Some local BNP leaders and activists were supposed to join AL yesterday, he said, so other BNP men killed Rashed “to foil the programme”.
BNP Chittagong district (north) unit President Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury refuted the allegation. Rashed was killed by his rival activists following the AL's factional clash, he told The Daily Star.
Yesterday afternoon, police arrested Md Mohiuddin, 25, Md Sekander, 28, and Sujon Nath, 28, in Rangunia, Pijush Kanti Singh, assistant sub-inspector of the police station, said.