Conflict Over New Patuakhali Body

Red Crescent office locked for 5 days

17 October 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Patuakhali

Patuakhali Red Crescent office has remained closed for five days as some people locked all of its three rooms following alleged conflict over the newly formed district committee of the organisation. A group of people, apparently disgruntled at the newly formed Patuakhali unit committee, came to the Red Crescent office in launch ghat area of the town on Monday evening and put extra locks on the three rooms, said locals. None of the officials and volunteers came to the office since then. Central committee of Bangladesh Red Crescent formed a new committee for Patuakhali district with Prof Abdus Salam as president and Khan Mosharraf Hossain as secretary after tenure of the previous committee expired on September 20. Mosharraf Hossain is also secretary of the district unit of Awami League. "I was astonished to see double lock in the office," said a Red Crescent volunteer wishing anonymity. When contacted, Prof AKM Shahidul Islam, secretary of the immediate past district committee, said, "I heard that a new committee has been formed for the district unit but I am yet to get any instruction from the central committee. I did not go to the office for some days as there is no emergency job and I am also busy with my personal affairs. I do not know who locked the office." Asked about the matter, Patuakhali Deputy Commissioner Md Reaz Ahmed said, "I heard that some people made a noisy situation there. But nobody formally informed me about it." Meanwhile, the previous committee is yet to formally get papers on the newly formed body and the latter could not start their work.