AL, Jamaat accuse each other

The process was postponed after the clashes that left at least 10 people injured.

The parties are now blaming each other for the clashes.

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Nine members of Fingri Union Parishad (UP) at a joint press conference at Satkhira Reporters Club on Sunday demanded arrest of Fingri UP Chairman Habibur Rahman and his "terrorists group", alleging that they launched the attack on the polls venue to capture the Gram Sarkar by force.

UP member Madhusudan Mondal in a written statement at the press conference alleged that formation of Gram Sarkar was postponed in ward No 5 and ward No 6 in Fingri union following attacks by hoodlums belonging to Jamaat. Police did not take any action.

He alleged that the attacks were ordered by Fingri UP Chairman and local Jamaat leader Habibur Rahman, fearing defeat of his candidate Manlana Yakub Hossain who contested for the post of gannya mannya bakti, a post in the Gram Sarkar. The other candidate was Laxmi Kant Mondol.

He also named some of the alleged hoodlums. They are Abdul Haq, Azadul, Rahman, Yakub Sarder, Sahid, Anowar Hossain, Mizanur and Asadul, all sheltered by the UP chairman.

Earlier, they evicted 32 landless minority community families from hkas lands in Gava in the Sadar upazila on March 17. The families were living in the area for about 30 years by leasing the khas lands from government, he claimed.

The miscreants kept the UP members hostage he said and demanded arrest of the UP chairman and his men for creating violence at the polls venue.

The UP members present at the press conference were Sheikh Abul Hossain, Khan Abdul Hamid, Reazuddin, Sansur Rahman, Krishua Pada Sarkar, Rahima Khatun, Mahadev Kumar Ghosh and Jahanara Khatun.

Meanwhile, Abdul Khaleq, Amir of Saklira district Jamaat; Maulana Abdul Khaleq MP, Senior Nayeb-e- Amir and Nurul Huda, secretary of district Jamaat in a joint press statement on Monday blamed Awami League and the landless people for deterioration in law and order in the area.

Awami League is conspiring to tarnish the image of Jamaat and the 4-party alliance government and to spoil Gram Sarkar, they said.

When contacted over phone, Satkhira district AL convener Skeikh Mujibur Rahman said his party has been criticising the Gram Sarkar from the beginning. So AL's participation in the process does not arise.

Saturday's clashes were the result of feud between Jamaat and BNP, he claimed.