AL men attack BNP marchers, kill upazila chairman
Boraigram upazila chairman Sanaullah Nur Babu, also a local leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was killed and 30 others, including four journalists, were seriously injured in an attack allegedly by the activists of Awami League at Bonpara in the district on Friday.
District unit of the BNP called a dawn-to-dusk general strike in Natore for Sunday in protest against the attack and killing.
The district BNP announced the programme at a press conference in the evening.
Witnesses said that a group of ruling party men, mostly activists of Chhatra League and Juba League,
had mounted the attack on a procession of upazila BNP while it was passing through Bonpara Bazar area at around 11:00am, leaving 30 people, including Sanaullah, critically injured.
Sanaullah was first taken to Natore sadar hospital and shifted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated. He died at around 2:00pm, police and locals said.
Witnesses said the ruling party men led by district AL leader Professor Zakir Hossain and brandishing firearms and other weapons had pounced on the activists of the BNP near Bonpara as they were marching towards the upazila headquarters to attend a scheduled rally. Sanaullah was leading the procession.
The ruling party men also assaulted four journalists of different dailies and television channels, including Bangladesh Pratidin's Natore correspondent Nasim Uddin, ATN Bangla cameraman Rana Ahmed and Diganta Television cameraman Limon Hossain, witnesses said. They also snatched away two TV cameras.
The AL activists also vandalised a number of vehicles during the attack, witnesses said.
Among the injured, upazila Juba Dal president Rafiq Sarder, Boraigram municipality mayor Mohammad Ishaq Ali and some others were admitted to Natore sadar hospital and different local clinics.
Soon after the attack, upazila BNP brought out a procession in protest at the attack.
BNP leader and former state minister for land Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu, who was scheduled to attend the rally as chief guest, in his instant reaction on Friday afternoon demanded immediate arrest of the attackers.
'The ruling party men attacked the BNP leaders and activists without provocation…It was a planned attack,' he alleged.
He said a tougher movement would be launched if the perpetrators were not given exemplary punishment. The BNP leader also alleged that police had stood by as passive onlookers during the attack.
Zakir Hossain, information and research secretary of the district AL, denied he was involved in the attack.
Mohammad Anwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Boraigram police station, said the situation was under control.
'Additional police have been deployed in the area to avoid any further trouble,' he said.
District unit of the BNP called a dawn-to-dusk general strike in Natore for Sunday in protest against the attack and killing.
The district BNP announced the programme at a press conference in the evening.
Witnesses said that a group of ruling party men, mostly activists of Chhatra League and Juba League,
had mounted the attack on a procession of upazila BNP while it was passing through Bonpara Bazar area at around 11:00am, leaving 30 people, including Sanaullah, critically injured.
Sanaullah was first taken to Natore sadar hospital and shifted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated. He died at around 2:00pm, police and locals said.
Witnesses said the ruling party men led by district AL leader Professor Zakir Hossain and brandishing firearms and other weapons had pounced on the activists of the BNP near Bonpara as they were marching towards the upazila headquarters to attend a scheduled rally. Sanaullah was leading the procession.
The ruling party men also assaulted four journalists of different dailies and television channels, including Bangladesh Pratidin's Natore correspondent Nasim Uddin, ATN Bangla cameraman Rana Ahmed and Diganta Television cameraman Limon Hossain, witnesses said. They also snatched away two TV cameras.
The AL activists also vandalised a number of vehicles during the attack, witnesses said.
Among the injured, upazila Juba Dal president Rafiq Sarder, Boraigram municipality mayor Mohammad Ishaq Ali and some others were admitted to Natore sadar hospital and different local clinics.
Soon after the attack, upazila BNP brought out a procession in protest at the attack.
BNP leader and former state minister for land Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu, who was scheduled to attend the rally as chief guest, in his instant reaction on Friday afternoon demanded immediate arrest of the attackers.
'The ruling party men attacked the BNP leaders and activists without provocation…It was a planned attack,' he alleged.
He said a tougher movement would be launched if the perpetrators were not given exemplary punishment. The BNP leader also alleged that police had stood by as passive onlookers during the attack.
Zakir Hossain, information and research secretary of the district AL, denied he was involved in the attack.
Mohammad Anwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Boraigram police station, said the situation was under control.
'Additional police have been deployed in the area to avoid any further trouble,' he said.
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