Jubo Dal men on the rampage
Factions turn its district conference into battlefield in Comilla
A section of Jubo Dal activists, three of them wearing masks, shoots at rivals during a factional clash centring the council of the organisation's South Comilla district unit yesterday
Feuding factions of Comilla District (South) Jubo Dal yesterday turned Kadirpara area of the district town into a war zone, exploding Molotov cocktails, and firing sawed-off rifles, pistols, revolvers, and homemade guns.The incident, which was sparked centring a conference of the BNP youth front's unit, left 30 persons including four police personnel wounded.
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The injured police personnel are Officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali Model Police Station Mohiuddin Mahmud, sub-inspectors (SI) Mosaddekul Maula and Md Shahjahan, and a havildar.Police picked up 15 persons on charges of involvement in the incident, and recovered a revolver, a bullet, and a cocktail from the spot.During the clash, 10 cocktails were exploded and at least 20 shots were fired by a faction of Jubo Dal activists, some of whom were in black masks.
Students of educational institutions and pedestrians ran for cover as the feuding groups chased each other. Shops pulled their shutters down. Police fired tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.Police, leaders and workers of Jubo Dal, and other witnesses said followers of Comilla district unit BNP General Secretary Aminur Rashid Yasin, and supporters of his rival -- former organising secretary of the party unit Monirul Haque Sakku, took positions against each other at the Town Hall in the morning.
The clash started around 12:00pm when Sakku's followers threw a Molotov cocktail at the rear of a microbus carrying the organisation's central leaders including its President Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal. The vehicle was entering the Town Hall Auditorium premises, the venue of the conference scheduled to start at 10:00am.
They then exploded nine more cocktails at the Chowrangi Crossing area.Some of Sakku's followers were wearing black masks and were armed with pistols, LGs, revolvers, and sawed-off rifles. They fired shots at the Town Hall ground that was empty by then. At least 20 gun shots were heard. Two young men in jeans and T-shirts were seen firing guns, but their identities could not be known immediately.
At one stage, supporters of Yasin, armed with sticks, chased their rivals, sparking an exchange of brickbats. Later police came to the scene and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse the warring groups.Sakku's supporters Milon, Ferdaus, and Russell were hit by bullets, and were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Mazharul Islam, a fourth year accounting student of Comilla Government College, was hit by a bullet in the chest. OC Mohiuddin Mahmud was injured in the leg, SI Mosaddekul Maula was injured in the head and abdomen, SI Md Shahjahan and the havildar were injured in the hands. Four pedestrians were also injured, who were admitted to local clinics. Police recovered an abandoned revolver from the front of the district BNP office. Rapid Action Battalion arrived at the spot around 1:30pm.
District Jubo Dal Joint Convener Ashikur Rahman Mahmud Wasim, a supporter of Yasin, said, "Our rivals opened fire in broad daylight in a bid to foil the conference, but their attempt failed."The unit's First Joint Convener Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan, a follower of Sakku, said, "I was in charge of conducting the conference. I don't know what happened outside."
Police picked up 15 persons from the conference venue on charges of involvement in the incident, who are Md Sumon, 20, Mostafizur Rahman, 35, Hridoy, 20, Rony, 25, Ripon, 20, Abul Hasan, 24, Monir Hossain, 24, Yasin, 20, Pavel, 28, Jahir, 22, Rafiqul Islam, 22, Anu Miah, 35, Rubel, 25, Kishore Kumar Debnath, 35, and Ripon, 20.
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