A local leader of the ruling Awami League in Jamalpur launched an assault on poor people demonstrating for relief assistance on Monday.
Helal Uddin, a member of Jamalpur district Awami league unit and a councillor of 8 no ward under Jamalpur municipality, carried out the attack when the residents of the ward brought out a procession protesting relief irregularities at around 9pm.
The agitated residents accused the ward councillor of misappropriating relief materials and attacking their procession.
Earlier, on Saturday, the accused Helal initiated an attack on two journalists of Somoy Television and Independent Television .
The journalists were covering an incident of clashes that had broken out between ward councillor Helal and Moazzem, organizing secretary of 8 ward Awami League, over relief distribution.
Besides, on Tuesday people demonstrated for relief assistance in Comilla and Madaripur.
In Comilla, members of Rent-A-Car Association, blocking the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Daudkandi upazila, demonstrated for aid.
However, the hungry drivers withdrew the blockade after they were assured of relief assistance from the authorities.
In Madaripur, residents of Banshkandi Union Parishad of Shibchar upazila protested the alleged relief irregularities of chairman Abul Bashar Munshi.
The agitated people alleged that the chairman had been embezzling relief rice for 10 years.
Elderly Surjan Begum said Abul Bashar took her ration card many days ago, telling her she would be provided with aid. But she was yet to get any relief assistance from the chairman.
The ongoing nationwide shutdown to rein in the spread of the deadly coronavirus has left many lower income people across the country in suffering as their means of income have been cut off.
Considering the situation, the government has started distributing rice and other daily essentials to feed these people under social safety net programmes.
Nevertheless, reports of people agitating for relief in recent days suggest that many among the poor still remain without relief assistance.
Our Correspondents Biswajit Deb, Jamalpur, Masud Alom, Comilla and Monjur Hossain, Madaripur contributed to this report.
