The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

At least 70 people were injured in three separate clashes yesterday at Comilla, Patuakhali and Noakhali between rival groups of supporters of Awami League prospective candidates for the ensuing election.

Awami League nomination aspirant and former FBCCI president Yusuf Abdullah Harun was among 10 people injured in an attack by his rival group at Muradnagar upazila in Comilla yesterday.

It was alleged that Muradnagar AL secretary Jahangir Alam Sarkar, also aspirant for party ticket for the upcoming election, launched the attack at the extended meeting of AL upazila committee.

Harun later at a press conference squarely blamed Sarkar for the attack and demanded punishment for the troublemakers

He said representatives from the grassroots overwhelmingly supported him as the Awami League candidate.

In Patuakhali, clashes broke out between two rival groups at a meeting of the grassroots level councillors called at Baufal upazila AL office at Janata Bhaban on Daspara Road at 10:00 yesterday morning.

Supporters of four AL nomination aspirants including ASM Firoz, upazila AL president and former lawmaker, Firoz Alam, vice chairman of Mercantile Bank, Khondokar Reza, advocate of Supreme Court, Zobaidul Islam Russell, businessman, assembled in front of the office to attend the meeting.

When Firoz Alam with his supporters tried to enter inside the meeting room, supporters of ASM Firoz opposed them and both groups engaged in clashes following an altercation.

The clashes created panic in the town and disrupted normal life in the upazila town for more than an hour.

Police baton charged to bring the situation under control at about 11:30 am in which at least forty people including Zakir Hossain, Officer in Charge and Harunur Rashid, Assistant Sub Inspector of Baufal Police Station, Firoz Alam and Zobaidul Islam, nomination aspirants, and Saiful Islam Uzzal, RTV reporter were injured.

Firoz Alam alleged that 'cadres of godfather' ASM Firoz attacked him and he will lodge a case with Baufal Police Station in this connection. He said that he would submit his nomination before the central committee.

ASM Firoz denying the allegation said that Firoz Alam was not a member of Baufal AL and while he tried to enter the meeting with BNP cadres, the local AL councillors opposed and chased them away.

No case was lodged in this connection till late last night and the meeting was going on under the chairmanship of Shahjahan Faruki, AL Patuakhali district committee member.

Meanwhile in Noakhali the AL extended meeting began at the local Bar Council auditorium in the morning with district unit AL president Prof M Hanif in the chair.

The trouble began at about 4:30pm when supporters of AL district vice-president and former MP of Noakhali-6 Mohammad Ali locked in an altercation with the supporters of another former MP from the same constituency Wali Ullah.

Later, both the groups took position in different parts of the town and attacked each other with sticks and brickbats, leaving some 20 people injured from both sides.

One of the injured, Azad, 22, was admitted to General Hospital, while the rest were given first aid.