Two factions of the BNP clashed through the night in Mollakandi union of Munshiganj Sadar, attacking each other and setting off crude bombs in a fight for control of the area ahead of the coming union parishad (UP) elections. At least 10 people were injured, five of them with gunshot wounds. Crude bombs were also thrown at a police pickup that went to bring the situation under control.
The clashes ran on and off from about 11:30pm on Wednesday (11 November) until 7am on Thursday in the villages of Noadda, Rajarchar, Kangshapura and Natun Amghata in Mollakandi union. They were between supporters of Awlad Mollah, vice-president of the union BNP, and Rahim Mollah, a BNP activist who lives in France.
The five who were shot are Didar Dhali, 47, Borhan Sikder, 49, Didar Sardar, 45, Rakib Sardar, 25, and Imran Hossain, 48. They were taken to Munshiganj General Hospital and, after first aid, sent to Dhaka for better treatment. The other five injured were treated locally.
Awlad Mollah did not answer several calls to his mobile phone, and Rahim Mollah did not respond to several attempts to reach him on WhatsApp.
Taslim Uddin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Munshiganj Sadar police station, confirmed the incident. He said the clash between the two groups began over the union election. When police reached the scene on being told, the groups threw several crude bombs at the police pickup, but police acted at once and brought the situation under control. The area is now calm, and police patrols have been stepped up to keep order, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report