80 hurt in AL factional clashes in 3 districts
More than 80 people were injured as Awami League factions clashed over finalising the panels of candidates for the upcoming parliamentary polls in Patuakhali, Noakhali and Comilla yesterday.
In Patuakhali, at least 50 people were injured as two factions of AL Baufal upazila unit clashed at an extended meeting at noon.
Our correspondent quoted police and witnesses as saying that the extended meeting was called to finalise a panel of candidates for Patuakhali-2 constituency.
Leaders and activists of a faction led by former lawmaker and Baufal upazila unit president ASM Feroz gathered at the party office at Janata Bhaban at the upazila headquarters to join the meeting.
Another group led by Feroz Alam, a local AL leader and also the vice-president of Mercantile Bank, assembled at a field near the venue of the meeting and took out a procession.
When Alam group tried to join the extended meeting, the AL men belonging to ASM Feroz faction swooped on them, leading to a clash between the two factions.
Later, ASM Feroz faction finalised a list of candidates. A tense situation is prevailing at the upazila headquarters. Additional police have been deployed to avert any further incident.
Our Noakhali correspondent reported that two factions of Awami League Hatiya upazila unit clashed at the district headquarters yesterday, leaving at least 20 people injured.
The trouble began while an extended meeting of district Awami League was going on at Noakhali Ainjibi Samity auditorium with district unit president Prof Mohammad Hanif in the chair. The meeting was later postponed.
Witnesses said the supporters of AL nomination seekers from Hatiya Prof Wali Ullah and Mohammad Ali brought out separate processions outside the meeting venue and chased each other.
Ekramul Karim, general secretary of district Awami league, said they postponed the meeting due to the clash. He said the district unit will take action against the persons involved in the clash.
In Comilla, Awami League nomination seeker and former FBCCI president Yusuf Abdullah Harun was among 10 people injured in an attack by his rival group at Companiganj under Muradngar uapzila, according to UNB.
It was alleged that Muradnagar AL Secretary Jahangir Alam Sarkar, also an aspirant for party ticket for the upcoming parliamentary election, launched the attack on the extended meeting of AL upazila committee.
Later at a press conference, Yousuf Abdullah Harun blamed Jahangir faction for the attack.
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