Villagers attacked for speaking out against chairman's son

10 September 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Nilphamari

At least 25 people were injured as miscreants, led by a son of Jaldhaka Upazila Chairman Sayed Ali, attacked Chengmari village on Wednesday night. Five of the injured were admitted to Jaldhaka Upazila Health Complex while the rest to private clinics. The villagers came under attack as they gave their statements to the police in connection with a case filed against Shaful Islam Babu, son of Sayed Ali, also a rokan of Jamaat, on the day. Babu was sued on September 8 on charge of assaulting Imrul Haque, 42, son of Ehsan Uddin of the same village over a trivial matter at Baro Ghat village of Jaldhaka upazila on September 7. Seriously injured Imrul was admitted to Jaldhaka Upazila Health Complex. He filed the case with Jaldhaka Police Station, accusing Babu and some of his associates of assaulting him in front of a cold storage owned by Babu's father Sayed Ali. The attackers on Wednesday night also detained a villager named Tofizuddin at the cold storage and beat him up for giving statement against Babu. He was later rescued by police. Tofizuddin yesterday filed a case against Babu and 20 others for torturing him at the cold storage, police said. Protesting the attack on the villagers by upazila chairman's son, several hundred people took out a procession at Jaldhaka upazila headquarters yesterday demanding immediate arrest of the attackers.