Leaders and activists of the now-banned Chhatra League allegedly vandalized and set fire to a police vehicle in Gopalganj Sadar upazila on Wednesday morning while officers were out on patrol duty, ahead of an event of the National Citizen Party (NCP) in the district.
The incident took place in the Ulpur area of Sadar upazila, confirmed Gopalganj Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Mir Md Sajedur Rahman.
Constables Md Kawsar Hossain and Constable Minhaz Sarker were injured during the incident and are receiving treatment at Gopalganj General Hospital.
Members of the army, Armed Police Battalion, Rapid Action Battalion and Fire Service were spotted at Ulpur Bazar, near the site of the attack.
Sajedur said that as part of the month-long July march program, the NCP was scheduled to hold a rally at the Poura Park in Gopalganj town, with the expected presence of senior central leaders.
"To foil the event, supporters of Ataur Rahman Piyal, district general secretary of the Chhatra League, set fire to and vandalized a police vehicle in Ulpur," the officer said.
Meanwhile, Md Kawsar Hossain, one of the injured constables, told Dhaka Tribune that four police officers were on patrol when they noticed a crowd gathered at the scene of the incident.
"The officer-in-charge approached the group to ask why so many people were assembled. According to the crowd, they had gathered for an upcoming tournament. During the inquiry, the officer-in-charge asked one individual to accompany them for questioning, which agitated the group. Suddenly, around 50 people attacked the police officers with sticks and bricks."
Kawsar said no slogans were chanted during the attack and that the motive behind the incident remains unclear.
A fire service official at the scene said they arrived after the vehicle fire had already been extinguished and were there for inspection purposes.
The overall situation in Gopalganj remains tense, with law enforcement personnel deployed at close intervals due to the visit of central leaders of the NCP.
Notably, the NCP launched its "Build the Nation with the July March" campaign on July 1 and has already held marches and rallies in several districts across the country.
As part of the month-long program, the party was scheduled to hold a march in Gopalganj on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Sarjis Alam, the party’s chief organizer for the northern region, confirmed the program through a verified Facebook post.
Following this, the party’s convener, Nahid Islam, Senior Joint Member Secretary Dr Tasnim Jara and several other leaders also posted about the event on social media.
In his Facebook post, Sarjis Alam wrote: “Comrades of the revolution, come rushing like a comet. We shall meet in Gopalganj town today, Wednesday, at 11am, In Sha Allah.”
In another post, he said: “The rights of the people of Gopalganj will be ensured and the district’s name will no longer be a symbol of discrimination. We strive to build that very Bangladesh. We will also lead the fight for the rightful claims of the common people of Gopalganj. Gopalganj does not belong to any individual or clan—it belongs to Bangladesh.”
