Rival BNP factions lock in fierce clash in Nilphamari
15 including 3 policemen injured
At least 15 people including three policemen were injured as two rival factions of opposition BNP clashed in the district town on Wednesday night.
During clashes, police shot five rounds of rubber bullet to disperse the feuding factions. Police also arrested one Jubo Dal leader while a case was filed in connection with the incident.
Eye-witnesses and police sources said, district committee of BNP and the party's front organisations called a meeting at the party office at municipal market to discuss ways to celebrate the 30th death anniversary of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman on 30 May.
But District BNP is divided in two groups for a long time. One group is led by district unit president Ahsan Ahmed and the other by district unit general secretary Shamsuzzaman Zaman.
Leaders and activists of both the BNP factions and front organisations gathered to attend the meeting.
When a convening committee to observe the death anniversary was being formed, supporters of general secretary group objected, claiming that majority members of the committee belonged to president group.
At one stage, the pro-general secretary activists, most of them belonging to Chhatra Dal assaulted Robbu Sarker, youth affairs secretary of district BNP.
The activists also assaulted municipal unit secretary Saifullah Rubel.
Within moments, both groups locked in a fierce clash at about 8:00 pm which continued for about two hours around BNP office and adjacent areas.
To control the unruly BNP activists, police first charged batons and then shot rubber bullets. Fifteen people from both the groups were injured in the triangular clash.
Police also arrested two people from the spot. One of them is Jubo Dal leader Shahid Jahangir Alam, an influential member of the district convening committee of Jubo Dal, also the youngest son of district unit BNP president Ahsan Ahmed.
The other arrestee was Hafizul Islam, an employee of a garments shop. Police released him yesterday morning.
Contacted, second officer of Sadar police station Mehdi Russel told this correspondent, that police filed a case yesterday accusing about 35-40 people of assaulting law enforcers and creating anarchy. Of them, five are BNP activists and the rest are unnamed, he said.
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