25 injured as Pabna BNP factions clash

1 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Pabna

Intra-party rivals chase one another as two factions of BNP lock in a clash outside the venue of the council of the party's Pabna municipality unit yesterday. Photo: STAR

At least 25 people, including a police officer, were injured as two factions of Pabna BNP clashed in the town yesterday. The trouble began at around 1:30pm when a faction led by former organising secretary of the district unit Kamrul Hassan Minto attacked the council of Pabna municipal unit called by district Convener Engineer Habibur Rahman led faction at a community centre at Jubilee Road. Activists of the two rival factions used lethal weapons, hurled brickbats and chased each other during the clash that continued for half an hour, leaving at least 25 people, including Assistant Police Superintendent (ASP) of Pabna Sadar Circle Md Nizam Uddin, injured. Of the injured, Ayub Sardar and Firoz Hossain of Tota faction and Abdul Mannan, Shimul, yusuf, Rana and Milon of Kamrul faction were admitted to Pabna General Hospital while the rest to different clinics in the town. Police fired tear gas shells and charged batons to bring the situation under control. Tota faction later held the council at the same venue and formed a 71-member municipal unit with Toufique Habib and Siddikur Rahman as president and secretary. District Convener Engineer Habibur Rahman Tota blamed the 'expelled' party men for the incident. “Some unruly people who were earlier expelled from the party for anti-organisational activities launched the attack on the council,” he said. On the other hand, Kamrul faction leaders claimed that their rivals swooped on them when they were trying to bring out a procession protesting filing of 'false cases' against Tarique Rahman. Intra-party feud in Pabna district BNP surfaced after formation of the convening committee. It is now divided into two groups----one is led by district convener Engineer Habibut Rahman Tota while the other by Kamrul Hassan Minto.