The nephew of martyred composer Altaf Mahmud has been critically injured after supporters of a local Awami League leader allegedly crushed his limbs with a hammer before stabbing him in Barishal's Muladi.
The 54-year-old Nurul Huda Pappu was attacked by the assailants on the municipality's Hospital Road on Thursday, according to his family.
He was initially rushed to the Muladi Upazila Health Complex but was then taken to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in Dhaka, bdnews24.com.
Pappu was the son of language activist and freedom fighter Altaf Mahmud's brother and lives in a house he owns near the municipality's police station, according to Muladi Upazila Parishad Chairman Tariqul Hassan Khan Mithu.
Pappu was attacked by the 'henchmen' of Sumon Rari, general secretary of the local Awami League unit, said Tariqul. "They struck him with a hammer, breaking both his hands and a leg. They stabbed him after that and left him for dead near the Muladi Government College."
A local shopkeeper was also beaten when he tried to go to Pappu's aid, according to Tariqul.
"Pappu let out a series of screams but no one came to his rescue as they feared Sumon and his men," Pappu's wife Shimu Begum said.
The attackers left thinking Pappu was dead after he fell unconscious, she added.
On the motive behind the attack, Shimu said, "They had all gone to Shariatpur on Jun 24 for the inauguration of the Padma Bridge. Pappu and Sumon had an argument while boarding a launch. That's why he ordered the attack to kill Pappu."
Pappu does not hold any post in the local Awami League unit but he is close to Tariqul, also the general secretary of the ruling party's Muladi Upazila wing, according to Shimu.
She said she has handed the names of Pappu's attackers to the police.
Addressing the allegations, Sumon Rari said, "Pappu is a Jubo Dal leader. He was behind several attacks on Awami League men when the BNP was in power. As the Upazila chairman's bodyguard, he also beat up a few Awami League activists recently."
Sumon alleges that Pappu had attacked a local leader on the launch en route to the Padma Bridge inauguration ceremony, prompting a retaliation.
But Sumon denied any responsibility for the brutal attack on Pappu. "I was in Barishal city at the time of the attack. I came back after hearing about the incident."
A case is yet to be filed over the incident, but efforts are underway to apprehend the assailants, said Muladi Police Station chief Maqsudur Rahman.