Infighting, killing at grassroots a headache for Awami League

At least six leaders and activists of ruling Awami League have died in internal conflicts in different parts of the country over the last 10 days. Many leaders said the ruling party men’s infighting ahead of the national election has made the party’s central leadership worried.

The ruling party men clashed over leadership, establishing supremacy and local government elections.

The internal conflict has reared its head in the ruling Awami League, which has been in power for 15 years at a stretch, when the national election is knocking at the door.

Rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) in a report on political clashes in the first three months of this year stated that AL men were engaged in 42 incidents of internal clashes. At least six people died in those incidents. Moreover, newspapers reported the death of at least six more AL men in internal clashes in different areas of the country from 25 April to 4 May.

Prothom Alo has reviewed nine incidents of AL’s infighting in seven districts. Cases were filed in every incident. Analysing the cases and information sent by Prothom Alo correspondents it was found that five AL men were killed over feuds centering local government elections. Three were killed over establishing supremacy. Even one person was killed centering chanting slogans in the party’s meeting held to exchange views.

AL’s infighting led to murder of a former member of union parishad on 2 May night in Barguna Sadar upazila. The victim Shafiqul Islam was a joint secretary of Ayla Patakata union unit Awami League and a former member of the union.  He was killed reportedly out of a feud centering the last union parishad election. The case filed by family members also brought the same allegation. Local AL leader and current union parishad member Motahar Mridha and his supporters were accused in the case.

Enmity between Shafiqul and Motahar brewed as both competed in the union parishad election held in 2021.  Supporters of both local leaders engaged in clashes earlier.

Ayla Patakata union’s chairman Mosharef Hossain told Prothom Alo that the two groups had been at loggerheads for a long time over establishing supremacy. He suspected the clash might have led to Shafiqul’s killing.

Jamal Hossain, a joint convener of Titas upazila Jubo League, was shot dead by miscreants on 30 April night. The miscreants shot him from point blank range. Titas upazila parishad’s former vice chairman and upazila AL’s organising secretary Shahinul Islam has been sued in the case over Jamal’s murder. As per the case statement, Jamal was killed over the internal feud of Titas upazila AL and its associate bodies.

An AL activist named Sona Mia was murdered as two factions of the ruling party clashed over chanting slogans at a view exchange meeting in Rangpur’s Kaunia upazila. Deceased Sona Mia was a supporter of Kaunia upazila AL’s president and upazila chairman Anowarul Islam.

Local AL organised a view exchange meeting at Imamganj School and College ground in Kaunia on that day. The two factions of AL locked into an altercation and then clash centering chanting slogans receiving commerce minister Tipu Munshi. As the clash broke out, the minister left the event venue. The two factions clashed after the minister had left the place. Sona Mia died on the spot after being hit with a stick.

Kaunia upazila vice chairman Abdur Razzak and Haragach union parishad chairman Raju Ahmed were sued in the case filed over the murder. Both the accused persons are leaders of local AL.

Kaunia upazila AL president Anowarul Islam said political reasons were behind the murder and a faction of the ruling party was involved with it.

The infighting intensified over nomination in local government elections as AL has been in power for a long time. Union parishad chairman elections, too, are held under the electoral symbol of political parties. As a result, many AL leaders who fail to get the party's nomination become ‘rebel’ candidates. As a result, feuds emerge in the grassroots that continue even after the election.

Two years after the union parishad elections, two leaders of ruling party associate organisations were killed in Lakshmipur over the feud emanating from the election. District Jubo League’s former secretary Abdullah Al Noman and district Chhatra League’s former organising secretary Rakib Imam were shot dead on 25 April. AL’s internal conflict over Bashikpur union parishad election in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila was reportedly behind the killing.

Noman’s brother Mahfuzur Rahman is the current chairman of Bashikpur union parishad. He alleged former chairman of the UP and Chandraganj thana AL’s vice president Abul Kashem Jihadi was directly involved with the killings. Abul Kashem competed in the last election as AL candidate while Mahfuzur won the election competing as a rebel candidate. The two groups were at loggerheads over the election. Abul Kashem has been accused in the case over the two murders.

Former Jubo League leader Khairul Alam was stabbed dead at Udayan intersection in Chapainawabganj on 19 April. He was district Jubo League’s assistant labor affairs secretary and councilor of Shibganj pourashava.

Chapainawabganj pourashava mayor Mokhlesur Rahman and district Jubo League’s former president Samiul Haque have been sued in the case filed over the murder. According to the case statement, the killing took place centering clashes over establishing supremacy in the area, an allegation denied by the accused persons. 

Elected people’s representatives, too, were among the people killed in AL’s recent infightings. Incident of hacking upazila chairman in presence of Member of Parliament also took place lately.  Another upazila chairman was shot over a feud centering lease of cattle market. On 17 March, Patuakhali’s Bauphal upazila chairman and Awami League’s secretary Abdul Motaleb Hawlader was beaten and hacked in front of local lawmaker and upazila AL’s resident ASM Feroz. A case was filed over the incident.

Many leaders of the ruling party think that such incidents have put AL in an uncomfortable position. They think such incidents at a time when the opposition parties are threatening to wage movement ahead of the election would weaken ruling AL. The central leaders of the ruling party are now emphasizing on the unity of the party right now.

AL general secretary Obaidul Quader held a view exchange meeting with organisational units under Rangpur division on 29 April. During the meeting at the party’s central office, Quader told the AL leaders, “No one can harm us if the party remains united. Make sure Awami League does not become Awami League’s enemy. External enemies are not needed when you have an enemy in your own backyard.”