Six individuals injured in an attack by locals during the vandalism at the residence of former liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque in Gazipur have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
The injured are: Shuvo Shaharia, 16, Yakub, 24, Sourav, 22, Kashem, 17, and Hasan, 22, while the identity of another injured person remains unknown.
They were brought to DMCH for advanced medical treatment at around 1:30am on Saturday.
Inspector Md Faruk, in charge of the police outpost at DMCH, confirmed the information to the media. He said: “Six injured individuals were brought from Gazipur to DMCH, with all but one receiving treatment in the general ward.”
Piyas, a friend of the injured Sourav, said: "At around 8:30pm, students from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement went to the residence of AKM Mozammel Haque.”
He added: “Later, Awami League activists used loudspeakers to mobilize and attack them. Many were injured, including my friend. So far, five of them have been taken to Dhaka Medical."
Among the injured, Shuvo Shaharia is the son of Fazlu Rahman from Kamarjuri in the Signboard area of Gazipur. Yakub is from Sharipur village under Gazipur's Gacha police station and is the son of Meher Ali.
Sourav, a resident of Madhumita Road in Tongi East police station, is the son of Ganesh Ghosh. Kashem hails from the Alhera Petrol Pump area in Gacha police station and is the son of the late Haji Jamal. Meanwhile, Hasan is from Jorpukur in Joydebpur police station and the son of Ibrahim Mia.
Meanwhile, both parties have made differing claims regarding the incident on Friday night.
Local sources said that at around 10pm, a group of 100-150 individuals under the banner of the "Anti-Discrimination Student Movement" attacked the ancestral home of former minister and district Awami League President AKM Mozammel Haque in Dhirashram, causing extensive damage and attempting to set the house on fire.
At that point, locals started shouting, claiming that robbers were attacking the village. The nearby mosque made an announcement through its loudspeakers, prompting villagers to rush out with sticks and chase the attackers. While fleeing, 16-17 individuals were caught and beaten by the villagers, leaving them injured.
On the other hand, representatives of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement claimed they had gone to the minister’s house after hearing reports of vandalism and looting. They said they were trying to stop the violence when Awami League supporters and associates of former mayor Jahangir attacked them.