5 injured as meeting of National Citizens' Committee comes under attack in Barishal
Jubo Dal and Krishak Dal men carried out the attack, members of the organisation claimed
Unidentified assailants attacked a meeting of the National Citizen's Committee in Barishal today (16 December), leaving five injured, including a joint member secretary of the organisation.
The attack took place in front of the office of Awami League's Barishal city unit at Dakkhin Para on Sadar Road around 11am, said committee members.
During the attack, chairs were vandalised while some leaders and activists of the organisation were allegedly beaten up.
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Jubo Dal and Krishak Dal men carried out the attack, members of the organisation claimed.
According to at least three eyewitnesses, a group of people started a commotion right after the committee started their meeting.
During this time, these people vandalised chairs and tore up banners.
They also beat up some organisers of the meeting while calling them allies of AL, committee members claimed.
Organiser of the committee's Barishal city unit Md Sajjadur Rahman Shakil Mridha said, "Some people barged into our pre-scheduled meeting. They called us Awami League allies, broke the chairs and tore banners.
"They even beat up a joint member secretary of ours and tried to throw him into the nearby pond. At least five of us have been injured in the incident. Among them, injured student Hamjalal, his mother Rumana Begum, Committee Member GM Mehedi Hasan and Md Asif have received primary treatment and gone to police to take legal steps," Mridha added.
Echoing Mridha, some leaders of the organisation said the attackers assaulted Dr Mahmuda Mitu, the committee's joint member secretary, and tried to throw her into the pond.
They could not do it due to resistance from the people present there, the leaders said.
Asked about the complaint, member secretary of Krishak Dal's Barishal city unit Saeed Talukder said, "Those who were present at the meeting were chanting 'We need Awami League government again and again' when we were passing the area. Our men committed some untoward incidents after becoming provoked hearing this. We have pacified them; nothing big has happened."
Officer In-Charge of Barishal's Kotwali police station Mizanur Rahman said, "A written complaint has been lodged on behalf of National Citizen's Committee. Legal steps are currently underway."
