'Misunderstanding resolved' as AL leaders, local officials hold meeting
Barishal Awami League leaders on Sunday night held a meeting with local administration and police officials in the wake of the attack on the Sadar upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) recently.
The meeting started at the Barishal divisional commissioner’s residence at around 8:30pm. A source present said the meeting decided to resolve the matter.
Apart from Barishal divisional commissioner, city corporation mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, metropolitan police commissioner Md Shahabuddin Khan, deputy inspector general of police SM Aktaruzzaman, deputy commissioner Jashim Uddin Mahmud, police superintendent Md Maruf Hossain, district Awami League’s general secretary Talukdar Md Younus and city Awami League president AKM Jahangir Hossain were present at the meeting which continued till 11:00pm.
A meeting source told Prothom Alo that it was during the discussions, it was said that the attack, clashes and subsequent incidents were derived from misunderstandings. All sides at the meeting agreed to prevent recurrence of such incidents and maintain peace and stability in Barishal.
Awami League leaders and officials of administration and police posed for a photograph following the meeting.
District AL general secretary and former MP Talukder Md Younus told Prothom Alo at around 11:45pm, “I would not say whether a consensus was reached or not. No comments. But I would say there will be peace which you all want. Everything will be made known when the time comes.”
Meanwhile an official of the district administration told Prothom Alo that the meeting decided in principle to withdraw the cases filed by both parties.
He said the process of consensus would be made public by means of a press release.
Awami League leaders clashed with police on Wednesday night centering removal of banners from upazila parishad complex. Ruling party men attacked the residence of the UNO and they alleged that Ansar men deployed at the UNO’s security shot at them leaving at least 30 injured. UNO and a sub inspector later filed two cases against ruling party men making the city mayor the prime accused.
Barishal city corporation’s revenue officer Babul Halder and panel mayor and district lawyer association’s general secretary Rafiqul Islam also filed allegations against the UNO on Sunday.
Minister for local government Md Tajul Islam at a briefing at the secretariat yesterday indicated that the matter would be resolved as it was a misunderstanding.