Rival AL men lock in fresh clash in Rajshahi, 10 hurt
Fresh clash between two feuding groups of the ruling Awami League at Bagha upazila headquarters yesterday left at least 10 people injured.
Meanwhile, the authorities of Bagha Shah Dowla Degree College yesterday closed the institution for two days following Tuesday's clash that left 20 people injured, Abdur Razzak, principal of the college told this correspondent.
Two college teachers, Mozammel Haq, also the upazila AL general secretary, and Sanwar Hossain, an AL activist, were injured during Tuesday's clash.
Yesterday, the AL feuding groups--one led by Swechchhasebok League Organising Secretary Layeb Uddin Lablu, and the other by Bagha Pourasava Mayor Akkas Ali-- clashed each other for nearly one and a half hours since 4:00pm, turning the Bagha town into a battlefield, said witnesses and police.
The trouble began when Rakib of Layeb group beat up Biddyut and Chhoto Sumon of Akkas group at a restaurant in old bus stand area at around 3:30pm.
Rakib, a betel-leaf shop owner blamed the two for beating up Zahangir Hossain, a hardware businessman, During Tuesday's clash.
Hearing the news, upazila Jubo League President Babul Islam went to the spot and rescued the two. He also and beat up Rakib. Then, Nabi and 10 others of Layeb group attacked Babul in front of the upazila parishad office, leaving him seriously injured.
Immediately after the incident, both groups locked in a clash. AL Bagha pourasava unit president Abdul Kuddus Sarker led the Layeb group while Akkas Ali himself led his faction during the clash.
Witnesses said both factions, equipped with hockey sticks, rods and machetes, chased each other on Bagha-Iswardi road in front of the upazila parishad building.
A huge number of police was present, but they failed to bring the situation under control. The feuding groups blamed police for inaction.
The rival AL men left the scene when torrential rain began at around 5:00pm. Traffic on Bagha-Iswardi road and business in Bagha town remained suspended for during the clash.
Aminur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Bagha Police Station denied the allegation of police inaction. “We were in the middle of the feuding groups, but they were very ruthless.”
No case was filed with the police station concerned as of filing of this report at 6:00pm yesterday.
Local AL sources said the main reason of the clashes is establishing supremacy of Layeb and Akkas groups in the area as the senior leaders of local unit were considering formation of new committees of local AL, BCL and Jubo League.
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