Patuakhali mayor's clinic vandalised, 5 injured

Criminals vandalised a clinic owned by Patuakhali mayor Dr Shafiqul Islam and beat up its director on Tuesday night.Photo: STAR

Criminals vandalised a clinic and injured five people including a director of the clinic owned by Patuakhali municipality Mayor Dr Shafiqul Islam on Tuesday midnight.
With serious injuries, the director, Jahirul Haque Khokon was admitted to Barisal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital from where doctors referred him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment yesterday afternoon.
Four other injured took primary treatment at the clinic.
"At about 12:30am a gang of around 20 people attacked the clinic and started searching for director Jahirul Haque Khokon. They found him on the third floor where he was sleeping. The criminals beat him up and hit him with a brickbat on the head, making him badly injured," said Md Siddiqur Rahman, manager of the clinic.
"The attackers also broke the windowpanes of the reception room of the clinic. I could not identify them," he said.
Jahirul Haque Khokon told this correspondent over cell phone that a gang led by the youngest son of a state minister made the attack on the clinic and injured him.
On condition of anonymity, a few eyewitnesses also supported Jahirul's statement.
This correspondent failed to communicate with the alleged leader of the attacker gang as his cell phone was found off.
Dr Shafiqul Islam, mayor of Patuakhali municipality, who is now staying in Dhaka, said his political rivals might have made the attack on his clinic.
Md Monirul Islam, officer in charge of Patuakhali police station, said, "We do not know who attacked the clinic. Nobody has submitted any written complaint in this regard. If anybody files a case over the matter we will take lawful action."