12 injured as Raozan AL, BNP clash

10 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Ctg

At least 12 people were injured as the activists of ruling Awami League (AL) and opposition BNP clashed in several areas of Raozan upazila yesterday afternoon. Sources said, the clashes occurred while BNP Raozan upazila unit was preparing to hold its scheduled conference at local Salima Quader Community Centre at Gohira. The trouble ensued when local unit of Awami League decided to hold a rally and stage demonstration just beside the conference venue to protest recent attack on AL lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh. The ruling partymen forced the BNP unit to shift its conference venue to BNP leader and former lawmaker Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury's house premises. The AL activists also attacked the conference bound BNP leaders and activists triggering clashes at different points of Chittagong-Rangamati Road at Gohira, Choumuhini, Satterghat, Urkirchar under Raozan upazila, said the local sources and witnesses. The clashes continued for several hours from 9:30am leaving more than 12 people injured and several vehicles vandalised by the AL men, alleged Raozan upazila BNP president Hasan Chowdhury. The injured included conference committee convener Kazi Abdullah Al Ahsan, Chittagong north Chhatra Dal president Hasan Jasim, Urkirchar union BNP president Advocate Abul Hashem and Paschim Gujara Chhatra Dal leader Md Farid, he said. Leaders of Chittagong North District BNP at a press conference at Chittagong Press Club in the afternoon alleged that armed cadres of AL and BCL attacked BNP men and forced postponement of the party's Raozan upazila conference. They strongly condemned the attack on the conference bound leaders and activists and said police were inactive and played a partisan role during the attacks. Meanwhile, AL Raozan upazila unit general secretary Muslem Uddin Khan refuted all the allegations saying he received no report of any clash in the area. The party organised the rally and the demonstration was held as scheduled, he said.