At least 10 individuals, including the BNP’s executive committee member Tabith Awal, have been injured in an apparent attack by ruling party activists during an opposition program in Banani this evening.
“Tabith has been admitted to United Hospital for treatment with head injury,” said Nazmul Huda, his personal secretary.
Around 7:45 pm, BNP was holding a candlelight vigil protesting the killing of three of its activists in police firing during recent protests across the country against price hike of essentials.
There, activists of Awami League and its affiliate organisations suddenly appeared and attacked their activists and members with brick chips and sticks.
BNP standing committee member Selima Rahman, Shama Obaid, organizational secretary and many other activists of the party were injured in the attack, said BNP’s Joint Secretary General Moazzem Hossain.
“They took position on the opposite side of the road before the program even began and attacked when Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain was giving a speech. Don’t understand how they could attack a peaceful programme like this,” Moazzem said.
Contacted, Nur e Azam Miah, the OC of Banani police station, said the AL activists were "holding a rally just beside the BNP program," from where some activists had "chased the opposition activists" - more or less corresponding to the BNP's version of how the violence broke out at least.
“But we don’t have any report about any attack,” he said.
It may be mentioned the BNP has repeatedly asserted the local police administrations have been working hand-in-hand with ruling party activists to foil their programs at various venues around the country since August 22, and even earlier. That may explain why the Banani police have received no complaint on today's violence till filing of this report.
Meanwhile in Cumilla, four including BNP’s Vice Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu, his wife suffered injuries attacked by some miscreants at Cumilla’s Monohorganj upazila on his way return to Dhaka from Noakhali.
