5 held over attack on Barishal MP's motorcade

Five people were arrested Wednesday in connection with a case filed over the attack on Barishal-4 MP Pankaj Nath's motorcade in Hijla upazila on Tuesday, reports UNB.

The arrestees are Mosharraf Hossain, Syed Manjur Morshed, Mohim Dewan, Md Oli Uddin and Helal Sikder, Hijla Police Station officer-in-charge Asim Kumar Sikder confirmed the matter.

Md Ibrahim Sardar, general secretary of the Hijla Sramik League unit, filed the case naming 24 people and also against a few unnamed ones.

He said, "The attack on the motorcade was launched to settle an old score that I have with Enayet Hossain, Hijla upazila Awami League vice-president and also a candidate of the ruling party in the Barajalia union parishad (UP) election. The windshields of the MP's car were smashed during the attack."

Enayet said, "This ploy has been hatched to beat me at the polls. Although my supporters had no connection with the incident, police arrested them and two member candidates."

MP Pankaj's convoy came under attack in front of the upazila Awami League office around 9:30 pm Tuesday. The lawmaker's driver Shukkur got slightly injured at the time.