The New Nation - Internet Edition

Barisal Correspondent

BNP factional clashes in Gournadi, Agoiljhara and Mehendiganj upazilas injured 40 including cops, journalists, pedestrians and ransacked 4 motorcycles and 3 shops causing disruption of traffic on Barisal -Dhaka highway for hours.

Gournadi municipal mayor and upazila BNP president resigned from his party post following the incident. Witnesses, police and party sources said Jahiruddin Swapan, pro-reformist leader and information and research secretary of central BNP, former lawmaker of Barisal-1 (Agoiljhara-Gournadi) constituency, reached his native village Sharikal of Gournadi on Tuesday to observe Eid with his family members and mass communication with voters. Swapan was assaulted and factional clashes between his followers and anti-reformist factions first occured at Mahilara Bazaar on Wednesday evening when he went there after mass communication and visiting the graveyard of former Batajore union BNP president Master Golam Hossain.

The second incident occured at 10:00 am on Friday morning when Swapan with a motorcycle caravan reached at Gournadi Bandar to meet the journalist of Gournadi Press Club, mass communication and exchange Eid greetings with voters.

Anti-Swapan faction claiming themselves as pro-Khaleda attacked and ransacked three motorcycles of Swapan-followers and Swapan rapidly coming to Gournadi bus stand starting mass communication and took shelter at the shop of Wahidul Huq Khan, Swapan follower BNP leader, aspirant candidate for upazila chairman post and secretary of local businessman association.

The cadres of anti-reformist faction then attacked the Swapan followers there at about 11:00 am and both groups engaged in one and a half hours long clashes, chasing and counter chasing, brick bating, creating panics in the area and disrupting traffics on Barisal-Dhaka highway.

Shops of Wahidul Huq Khan, Swapan follower, Farid Mia, anti-reformist Jubodal leader and municipal councilor, Homeo Pharmacy of Shangkar Chakraborty, ransacked and looted.

About 35 people including leaders and activists of both factions, Md. Wadud, constable of Agoiljhara police station, Giasuddin Mia, local correspondent of daily Samakal, Kulsum Begum and Ali Hossain, two pedestrians, injured and 13 of them got admitted at Gournadi and Agoiljhara hospitals.

Swapan and his followers later safely removed from the spot under police escort up to Sharikal and Tawfiq Mahbub Chowdhury, district police super visited the spot on the same day.

On other hand, pro-reformist Swapan follower Abul Hossain Laltu, secretary, Molla Bashir Ahmed Pannu, organizing secretary of upazila BNP, Nazrul Islam Chunnu, president upzilaTanti Dal, Kabir Hossain Talukdar Jubodal leader of Agoilhara arranged a mass communication program of Swapan after offering Juma prayer there on the same day.

When they advanced to Gournadi to receive Swapan, Khaleda follower anti Swapan faction led by district north Jubodal organizing secretary Shah Md. Bakhtiar resisted them and ransacking motor cycle of Chunnu forced them to return Agoiljhara.

Bakhtiar claimed that as Swapan declared persona non grata in Agoiljhara, so he could not be allowed to enter in that upazila.

On other hand followers of pro-reformist BNP factions led by Bahauddin Talukdar, union president and supporter of Shah Md. Abul Hossain, former Law Maker and State Minister and anti-reformist faction led by Abdul Malek, union vice president of Andharmanik union BNP of Mehendganj upazila under Barisal district clashed and chased each other at Andharmanik Bazar on Wednesday afternoon.

At least five peoples from both sides injured and two cases and counter cases have been lodged in this connection by them against their rivals with Mehendiganj police station on Thursday and Friday.