Members of the new Bangladesh Gana Odhikar Parishad party, including convener Dr Reza Kibria and Member Secretary Nurul Haque Nur, have allegedly been attacked while attempting to pay their respects at the tomb of Maulana Bhashani in Tangail’s Santosh.
Shakiluzzaman, the newly formed party’s senior joint convener, alleged the Bangladesh Chhatra League carried out the attack on Wednesday afternoon, reports bdnews24.com.
“Around 11:45 am we were close to Bhashani’s tomb when we were attacked by over 50 Chhatra League activists chanting party slogans. Reza Kibria, Nur, and several other activists were injured.”
The injured were given first aid nearby, he said.
“They attacked us with makeshift weapons and brickbats. They attacked us again after police used their vehicles to remove our leaders some 40 minutes into the incident.”
“Leaders of the Gana Odhikar Parishad were on their way to Maulana Bhashani’s tomb when they were set upon by members of the Maulana Bhashani University Chhatra League,” said Mir Mosharraf Hossain, head of Tangail Police Station. The two groups then clashed.”
“At one point, police removed Kibria, Nur and some party activists to safety,” he said.
But Nibir Pal, organisational secretary of the university’s Chhatra League, denies that the student wing of the ruling party was responsible for the violence. He says the Chhatra League was merely protesting the ‘anti-government’ slogans chanted by the Gana Odhikar Parishad activists.
“When we protested, they attacked. This led to a clash.”
There has been unrest in the area around Bhashani’s tomb since the violence. Chhatra League activists have occupied the area.
But the situation is currently under police control, said Mir Mosharraf Hossain.
On Nov 17, the Bangladesh Gana Odhikar Parishad formed with former Gono Forum leader Reza Kibria as convener and former Dhaka University Central Students’ Union President Nurul Haque Nur as member secretary.
The members of the party’s 83-strong committee are former and current leaders of Nur’s organisations for students, youths and workers.