At least five activists were injured in a factional clash between two groups of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) over dropping tender schedules at the superintending engineer's office of the Public Works Department in Barisal.
During the clash, which took place on Tuesday at noon, the PWD office was ransacked.
PWD officials and witnesses said Tuesday was the last date to submit tender worth Tk4.5 crore for constructing a marine academy building site.
Six tenders were dropped earlier and when the group led by BCL district secretary Abdur Razzak went to the office to drop tender schedules on Tuesday morning, a rival faction of BCL led by BM College unit leader Moin Tushar tried to bar them.
Both factions then engaged in a clash, chasing, and counter-chasing, spreading panic in the surrounding area. They also ransacked the PWD office.
On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
Five people of both factions received injuries, and were treated at local clinics.
Monir Ahmed, SE PWD Barisal office, acknowledging the facts, said the senior authority was informed about the situation.
“We appealed for deployment of RAB for dropping tender peacefully, but they did not respond to our request,” said Monir Ahmed.
Zakir Hossain, executive engineer at PWD Barisal office, expressing his ignorance about the incidents at Barisal SE office of PWD, said six tenders were dropped at the Barisal and Jhalakathi offices of PWD and the concerned authority will decide on it.
Abdur Razzak and Moin Tushar, the rival BCL leaders, blamed each other for the incident.
Shakhawat Hossain, Kotwali police station officer-in-charge, said police brought the situation under control, but no allegation was lodged till filing of this report at 5:55pm on Wednesday.
