Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur has been hospitalized after a clash between activists of his party and Jatiya Party in front of his party office on Friday night. He is in a critical condition and undergoing treatment under doctors’ observation at Dhaka Medical College Hospital in Dhaka.
On Friday evening, Nur was injured in a baton charge by police and army personnel on duty in front of the Jatiya Party’s central office in Kakrail. A series of clashes broke out in front of the Jatiya Party’s central office in the capital’s Kakrail area, as rival groups engaged in brick-throwing and chase-and-counter-chase.
Abu Hanif, a central leader of Gono Odhikar Parishad, confirmed the matter at 10:30pm, saying: “Our party President Nurul Haque is in a critical state. He is currently under doctors’ observation.”
He added: “He is suffering from seizures and sustained injuries to his nose and mouth. Our General Secretary Rashed Khan and over a hundred others have also been injured.”
In response to the question of why the police and army personnel attacked, Abu Hanif said: “We were holding our program peacefully. Later, when we brought out the torch procession, they attacked us.”
He added: “After that, when we held a press conference at the central office, the police and army personnel once again carried out an attack and mercilessly beat up our leaders and activists.”
Calling upon the government, Hanif said: “We have video footage of those who carried out the attack. They must be identified and brought under the law within 24 hours.”
Asked whether a case would be filed, Hanif replied that the party would take a decision after discussions. On further programs, he said: “We will sit for discussions and then announce our decision through the media.”
Later, around 11:30pm on Friday, Gono Odhikar Parishad’s General Secretary Rashed Khan was scheduled to hold a press briefing on the incident.
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam visited Nurul Haque Nur at the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Shafiqul said: “The attack on Nur is a very disgraceful incident. We condemn this. The whole matter will be investigated.”
He added: “I have spoken with the emergency department doctors. Nur sustained injuries to his nose and beside his eye. There is internal bleeding, and he is in a semi-conscious state. The doctors will keep him under observation in the ICU. Some further tests will also be carried out.”
On the other hand, Sarjis Alam, chief organizer (North) of the National Citizen Party (NCP), questioned while sharing a video of the attack in a Facebook post on Friday night, under whose orders Nurul Haque Nur was beaten and left bloodied.
In a Facebook post, Sarjis Alam said that he does not consider the army’s brutal attack on Nur, a key ally in the anti-fascist movement seeking the removal of Hasina, to be a routine assault.
He added that the army never takes even a single step without orders, and the army chief must answer under whose instructions Nur was bloodied.
“We also need to find out which members of the army targeted a party organizer while still acting in a mission to protect the Jatiya Party,” Sarjis wrote.
He further wrote: “Strict action must be taken against the Awami League loyalists who still remain within the police. The army and police certainly know Nurul Haque Nur well, yet the attack was deliberately planned. Those trying to play hidden, manipulative games will have their schemes exposed and broken.”