Clashes erupted on Wednesday at a National Citizens Party (NCP) rally in Gopalganj town, leaving four people dead and dozens injured.
The NCP was holding a mass meeting at the Municipal Park when activists of the Awami League and its banned student wing allegedly attacked the crowd.
Police and army personnel responded by firing sound grenades and blank rounds to disperse the attackers.
Authorities quickly imposed Section 144 - banning public gatherings - and a night-time curfew across Gopalganj to restore order.
NCP leaders immediately blamed the Awami League and its affiliates for the violence, while the interim government condemned the incident as “utterly indefensible” and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Rally degenerates into violence
Tensions had been rising since Tuesday over the party’s planned “July March to Build the Nation” program marking the first anniversary of last year’s mass uprising.
Early on Wednesday, unrest flared before NCP leaders even entered town.
A police van was set ablaze on the Ulpur-Durgapur road around 9:30am, and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer’s (UNO) vehicle was attacked en route to the rally.
By midday, a large group of men armed with sticks and bricks, reportedly Awami League and Chhatra League activists, marched toward the rally venue shouting political slogans.
They vandalized the stage area – overturning chairs and tearing down banners – and clashed briefly with NCP supporters and on-duty policemen, who retreated to the nearby court compound.
Despite the chaos, senior NCP leaders, including convener Nahid Islam, coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, and senior leaders, including Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, Akhtar Hossain, and Dr Tanjim Zara, arrived around 2:05pm and proceeded with the scheduled rally.
Shortly after the meeting, around 2:45pm, the NCP motorcade came under fresh attack as it left the park.
Eyewitnesses described “armed youths” encircling the convoy on Chourangi Road (near the Launch Ghat area) and pelting vehicles with bricks.
“We were exiting the park when suddenly a dozen men with sticks appeared from all sides,” said Rafiq Ahmed, a local shopkeeper.
“I saw two people fall as gunshots rang out. People ran screaming for cover.”
Security forces – including members of the police, Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Army – moved in.
Troops sealed off streets and blocked escape routes; some NCP members turned their vehicles back and fled via side lanes.
Central leaders later took shelter at the district police superintendent’s office, before being escorted out of Gopalganj in armoured vehicles at about 5:15pm.
Casualties and curfew
Hospitals in Gopalganj received multiple casualties.
Officials at Gopalganj 250-bed General Hospital confirmed that four wounded men with gunshot injuries were brought in dead over the afternoon.
The deceased had been identified as Dipto Saha (25), Ramzan Kazi (18) of Kotalipara; Sohel Molla (41) of Tungipara; and Imon (24) from Bherar Bazar area in Gopalganj Sadar.
In total, nine more people – including several police officers – were admitted with gunshot wounds and broken bones, many in need of surgery.
Deputy Director Dr Jibitesh Biswas said the dead “had visible injuries all over” and that “we expect more bodies.”
Local resident Saiful Islam, whose cousin Dipto was among the slain, said: “My innocent nephew was on his way to work. He had nothing to do with politics.”
Eyewitness Jamilur Rahman recounted horror in the park. “There were chairs and sound boxes flying as soon as shots were fired. Blood on the ground, people crying – it was like a battlefield,” he said.
In response to the violence, Gopalganj’s deputy commissioner invoked Section 144 in the afternoon, and the Chief Adviser’s Office announced an 8pm curfew from Wednesday night until 6pm on Thursday.
Soldiers, Border Guard and additional police were seen patrolling the quiet streets to enforce the ban.
Four platoons of BGB troopers joined army and police in Gopalganj by late afternoon to bolster security.
“We have four platoons out here working with the army and police to ensure law and order,” BGB Public Relations Officer Lt Col Shariful Islam told journalists.
‘Violation of citizens’ rights’
The interim caretaker government issued a strong statement through the Chief Adviser’s press wing condemning the attacks.
It called the violence “utterly indefensible” and “a shameful violation” of citizens’ rights.
The statement identified members of the Awami League and its student wing, Chhatra League, as the likely perpetrators and warned that “those responsible will face justice.”
“Let it be made absolutely clear: violence has no place in our nation. Justice must and will prevail,” it added.
The government also praised the army and police for their “prompt intervention” and applauded “the resilience and courage of the students and people who carried on with their rally despite these threats.”
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary-general of BNP, condemned the violence and called for unity to prevent further bloodshed.
The Jamaat-e-Islami party announced countrywide protests on Thursday in solidarity with the NCP.
Party Secretary General Miah Golam Parwar accused Awami League “terrorists” of trying to kill NCP leaders and vowed to resist “fascism.”
Meanwhile, NCP convener Nahid Islam directed his followers to clear road blockades that had sprung up across the country in protest, saying demonstrations should not inconvenience the public.
By late evening, student and activist groups had held one-hour highway blockades in Madaripur, Barisal and Cumilla demanding justice for the attack.
NCP leader Saiful Islam told protesters in Barisal: “We want justice against these terrorists who attacked our national leaders in Gopalganj.”
‘We came for Gopalganj’s people’
On Wednesday night, in a press briefing, NCP convener Nahid Islam demanded the arrest of attackers involved in the Gopalganj violence within 24 hours, calling the incident proof of the Awami League’s fascist nature.
Questioning possible internal sabotage, he said the NCP had police clearance and that the authorities failed to ensure protection.
“We came for Gopalganj’s people,” Nahid said, recalling how the convoy was attacked en route to Madaripur.
The team was later evacuated to Khulna with army assistance.
In the aftermath of the mass student-led uprising known as the Monsoon Revolution, which toppled the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh’s political landscape began a dramatic transformation.
The interim government, citing ongoing trials at the International Crimes Tribunal, banned all Awami League activities on May 12, followed by the Election Commission’s suspension of the party’s registration and the removal of its iconic boat symbol from official platforms.
Rising from the heart of that revolution, the National Citizen Party (NCP) was formally launched on February 28, shaped by activists from the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement (ADSM) and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee.
As part of its nationwide outreach, the NCP is currently leading the “July Padajatra,” a symbolic road march sweeping across Bangladesh, aimed at reconnecting with the public and renewing its call for political transformation in the spirit of last year’s uprising.