Dhaka, March 31 Bangladesh's Information and Broadcast Advisor Mahfuj Alam's father has been allegedly assaulted in his village, Ramganj upazila of Lakshmipur, during a factional clash among Pro-Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) units, according to local media reports.
The family members alleged that the BNP student wing Chhatra Dal former leader and a potential president candidate for Swechchha Sebak Dal union unit, Shukkur Ali, led the attack on the advisor's father, Azizur Rahman Bacchu, who is also serving as the organising secretary of the BNP unit in Ichhapur Union.
Azizur Rahman sustained injuries to his hands after being hit with bricks and was taken to the hospital. One of his relatives was also injured in the incident.
Speaking to the leading Bangladeshi daily, Prothom Alo, Advisor Mafuj Alam's elder brother, Mahbub Alam, said that a clash erupted when two separate groups of BNP leaders and activists went to detain the banned Awami League student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League's (BCL) district unit president, Mehedi Hasan, during his return to the area on Sunday evening.
At one point, the two groups locked in an altercation over the final decision regarding the BCL leader, which led to a scuffle between the two sides. They even clashed with the locals when the villagers tried to stop the fight between the two factions.
When Azizur Rahman came forward to stop the clash, he was eventually assaulted by the Chhatra Dal and Swechchha Sebak Dal activists.
"There was an altercation between the activists of Chhatra Dal and Swechchha Sebak Dal. At one point, a clash broke out. Azizur Rahman tried to calm down both sides. However, enraged with him, one of the factions assaulted him," said Abul Bashar, officer-in-charge of the Ramganj police station on Sunday.
Amidst the factional clash among both the pro-BNP activists, students under the banner of Student Movement Against Discrimination brought out a protest march in Ramganj town on Sunday night. The protesters demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the attack.
The BNP continues to witness factional clashes leading to the death of several of its party leaders and workers, recent data has revealed while highlighting the degrading law and order situation in the country since the current interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power in August 2024.
Khaleda Zia's BNP worked hand in glove with the student leaders and Muhammad Yunus to overthrow the democratically-elected government of Awami League, emerging as the largest political party in Bangladesh after the fall of arch-rival Hasina.
However, since then, deep fissures have appeared within the BNP, leaving several of its top leaders dead.
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