Barishal AL, admin at odds
The local administration and the ruling Awami League men in Barishal appear to be at loggerheads following the violence in front of Barishal Sadar UNO's office which left around 50 people injured on Wednesday night.
Panic has gripped Barishal city with many AL activists on the run to avoid arrest.
The situation appears to have worsened after Sheikh Sayed Ahmed Manna, councilor of ward 21 and president of the ward AL, was arrested in Dhaka on Friday night over the incident, said local politicians.
Wednesday night's violence took place after dozens of ruling party men went in front of the UNO's office on C&B Road in Barishal city to take down banners put up marking the National Mourning Day.
Witnesses said the AL men misbehaved with UNO Munibur Rahman and broke open the gate of his official residence after being barred by on-duty Ansar members from removing the banners. Later, Ansar and police members baton-charged the crowd and dispersed it.
At least 600 people, including Barishal City Corporation (BCC) Mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, were accused in two cases filed over the incident.
Sadiq yesterday claimed innocence and demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident.
"We want to see the full video [of CCTV cameras] of the incident. We want a free and fair investigation to find out whether my party men or I did anything wrong," he told a press conference at his home in Barishal city.
Wishing not to be named, a senior AL leader told The Daily Star, "Most of our party men in the city are aggrieved and in fear. As if we were from the opposition party... We have to be on the run although our very own party is in power."
Some ruling party men alleged that police were harassing them.
"Saddam Hussein, a former vice-president of the city unit of Chhatra League, died six months ago. But police have raided his house over Wednesday's incident," said Mizanur Rahman, cultural affairs secretary of the Barisal City Awami League.
BCL activist Abdur Razzak claimed that he was in Dhaka when the violence took place. But he was accused in a case filed by police.
Asked, Barishal Metropolitan Police (BNP) Commissioner Md Shahabuddin Khan said no one was being harassed.
"No innocent will be dragged into the cases," he said.
Police have so far arrested 22 people, mostly AL men, in connection with the violence, said Nurul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Barishal's Kotwali Police Station.
Tension was prevailing in the city as people feared more violence in case the mayor, prime accused in the cases, gets arrested.
"We have been in fear since the violence on Wednesday night," said Shah Sajeda, convener of the Barisal Sacheton Nagorik Committee.
In the last two days, many shops in the city's Hospital Road, C&B Road and adjacent areas were partially closed.
"I have invested several lakh Taka in my business. I can't take any risk by keeping the shutter of my shop open," said the owner of a furniture store in the C&B area.
A rumour spread yesterday that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) would be deployed in the city, causing further alarm.
Barishal Divisional Commissioner Md Saiful Hassan Badal said the situation did not warrant BGB deployment.
Meanwhile, garbage heaps were seen on the streets as the city corporation had not cleaned them since the violence.
Sources at the city corporation said most of the cleaners were AL activists and they haven't joined work to avoid arrest.
The BCC mayor in the press conference yesterday asked all city corporation staffers to resume work. He also urged police not to harass them.
Around noon yesterday, over 100 BCC staffers formed a human chain in front of Ashwani Kumar Hall demanding withdrawal of the cases against the mayor.
They also threatened to abstain from work if the cases were not withdrawn.
Meanwhile, mayors of some municipalities and chairmen of some upazila parishads of different districts in Barishal division held two separate press conferences at the Barishal club and demanded withdrawal of the cases against Sadiq.
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