An attack was reported at a roadside rally of Abdul Hannan Masud, senior joint coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP), in Hatia upazila of Noakhali on Monday evening, with Masud alleging that a group posing as BNP supporters led the attack, resulting in injuries to five to six NCP supporters as well as himself.
Mohammad Yusuf, a representative of Hannan Masud who was present at the site, told Prothom Alo that Hannan Masud arrived in Hatia last Saturday to check on underprivileged people in the area.
"This evening, after Iftar, he went to Jahajmara Bazar. Around 7:30pm, while delivering a speech at the rally, a group of people, claiming to be BNP supporters, suddenly marched from the west side of the market and interrupted the meeting before launching an attack. At least five people, including Md Tuhin, were injured."
Yusuf further alleged that the attackers attempted to physically assault Masud.
"However, when bystanders retaliated, the attackers fled the scene. Following this, NCP leaders and activists, under the leadership of Hannan Masud, began their sit-in protest at Jahajmara Bazar, vowing to continue until the perpetrators were arrested and brought to justice."
Speaking to the daily, Abdul Hannan Masud said: “We were simply talking to the people when some expelled BNP members, leading a procession, stormed into our meeting and attacked our people. Several of our supporters were injured.”
He further added: “We are staging a sit-in protest to demand that the identified extortionists involved in the attack be brought under the law.”
When asked about the allegations, Fazlul Haque, the convenor of Hatia upazila BNP, told Prothom Alo that he had no knowledge of what happened in Jahajmara.
Hatia police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) AKM Azmal Huda said that he heard about the attack on Masud’s rally and was on his way to the scene to investigate the matter.
