Mirza Fakhrul’s motorcade comes under attack in Ctg

A motorcade of BNP delegation led by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir came under attack in Ichhakhali of Rangunia in Chittagong on Sunday, on its way to landslide-hit areas.

At least five to seven BNP men including Mirza Fakhrul, BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury sustained injuries, according to the claim of BNP leaders.

The BNP leaders in the motorcade said the miscreants equipped with sticks and other lethal weapons carried out the attack and smashed the windows of the cars.

“Twenty to twenty five people attacked my car and thrashed the glasses of the vehicle. A number of my party men were also injured in the incident,” said Mirza Fakhrul.

BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, who was also with the motorcade, said he was also injured in the incident.

Khosru said Mirza Fakhrul sustained injuries on his hand, BNP chairperson’s adviser Ruhul Amin was wounded on his neck and organising secretary Mahbubur Rahman was hit in the head.

Khosru said his hands were also cut in the attack.

The BNP standing committee member alleged that the attack was launched in the area of ruling Bangladesh Awami League’s publicity secretary Hasan Mahmud and his men carried out the attack.   

Rangunia upazila BNP joint convener Md. Mohsin said there were five cars in the motorcade and four of them were vandalised.

He alleged activists of ruling AL’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and youth wing Awami Juba League carried out the attack, leaving at least eight injured.

When contacted, Hasan Mahmud denied the allegation and said a group of angry people attacked the motorcade after it hit two pedestrians there.

“Landslides took place one week ago whereas the BNP leaders are going to visit the area today. Yet again, they returned to Rangamati aborting their plan to visit the affected area, using the attack as an excuse. This is mysterious. It seems to be stage-managed,” claimed the AL leader.

Protest Programme

The party has, meanwhile, announced that it will stage demonstrations tomorrow, Monday, in all cities and district headquarters across the country, in protest against the attack.

At an impromptu press conference in Comilla, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, now in Comilla, announced the protest programme.

The BNP leader alleged that the ruling AL launched the attack in a planned manner. “And it’s an attack on democracy.”