10 AL men hurt in Hatiya pre-election violence
8 motorbikes burnt, 5 shops vandalised
A candidate for the women's reserved seat of councillor, Nasima Kamal casts her vote at Syedunnesa Government Primary School centre during election to Jhalakathi municipality yesterday. About 65 per cent of 29,778 voters exercised their right to franchise at the peaceful election. Photo: STAR
At least 10 Awami League activists were injured, 8 motorbikes burnt and five shops vandalised as supporters of rival UP chairman candidates clashed at a market in Char Eshwar Union under Hatiya upazila yesterday. The injured are Saif Uddin Ahmed, 32, Ashraful Haque Sohel, 25, Rajib Dakter, 27, Utpal Chandra Das, 26, Jewel Chandra Das, 27, Shankar Chandra Das, 34, Abul Khair, 40, Mamunur Rashid, 28, Aziz Mowla, 35, and Abdul Hai, 35. Ashraf, Rajib and Utpal were admitted to Hatiya upazila health complex while the rest took first aid. Subhash Chandra Paul, officer in-charge of Hatiya police station, quoting locals said that AL-backed UP chairman candidate Abul Halim Azad was talking to voters at Razar Hawla Rona Market in the morning. Within a while, a group of AL activists led by Saif Uddin Ahmed and Md. Akbor, both supporters of another AL UP chairman candidate Alauddin Al Azad, attacked the supporters of Halim Azad. Halim Azad's group also made a counter-attack leaving 10 AL activists injured. Angry supporters later set eight motorbikes on fire and vandalised five shops of the market. Two cases were filed with Hatiya police station in this connection. Away in Bagerhat, a court on Monday sentenced two people to life term imprisonment for killing a female union parishad (UP) member, reports UNB. The convicts were identified as brother-in-law Abdus Salam and step-son Rezaul Islam of the deceased of Rajoir village in Swarankhola upazila. The court also fined the convicts Tk 10,000 each, in default, to suffer one year RI more. According to the prosecution, Taslima Begum, a UP member of Ward No. 3 under Khontokata union of the upazila and second wife of Abdul Hai alias Alo Akon, was chopped to death by her in-laws on June 19, 2003.
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