Nine JCD men injured in factional clash

At least nine leaders and activists were injured as members of two factions of the newly formed committee of Chittagong city unit Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal clashed Wednesday night, centring distribution of top leadership positions.
With stabs and bruises, the injured, including newly made JCD city unit General Secretary Belayet Hossain Bulu, are being treated in Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
The JCD central committee declared the new 11-member city unit committee, which was eight years overdue, on July 21 with Bulu as general secretary and Gazi Siraj as president. Insiders say both of them are loyal to BNP city general secretary Shahadat Hossain.
This infuriated the rival faction, blessed by BNP city president Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and BNP vice chairman Abdullah Al Noman, which demanded cancellation of the committee, claiming that they had been deprived.
According to the JCD constitution, this 11-member committee is to form a full-fledged city unit committee comprising 151 members.
On Wednesday night, a quarrel broke out between Bulu and Jatiyatabadi Shwechchhasebak Dal city president SK Khoda Totan, a close aide of BNP leader Noman, when the latter asked Bulu to put some of his followers on the full-fledged committee, said police and sources.
And shortly after iftar period, two men arrived at Bulu's residence in West Khulshi and ransacked it, leading to the clash. Bulu was stabbed in the hand and suffered head wounds.
Former JCD president Mosharraf Hossain Dipti blamed Totan for the clash, while BNP leader Shahadat yesterday held a protest rally in front of the BNP office at Nasimon Bhaban terming it an "attack".
JCD city unit committee is formed every two years, and the last one was constituted 10 years ago.