At least five people were injured when supporters of both the ruling party and the opposition party locked into clash on the National Press Club premises yesterday centring presence of the BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The incident took place while Mirza Fakhrul, after attending a program of Peshajibi Parishad at the press club premise, was going out around 3.30pm.
Convener of the organisation, a pro-BNP body, journalist leader Ruhul Amin Gazi arranged the event marking the “Democracy Killing Day” despite a ban on rallies by Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
Prior to this, the pro-Awami League Bangladesh Federal Union and Dhaka Journalist Union held another programme marking January 5 as “Democracy Salvage Day.”
The BNP supporters started chanting slogans when Mirza Fakhrul was going out after delivering his speech at the event. Upon hearing their slogans, the ruling party supporters, who were attending another event in the same premise, also started to chant slogans.
At one point, Fakhrul and his supporters tried to enter the main premise of the Press Club and vandalised the nameplate of martyr journalists.
Soon a clash broke out when Projonmo League and Jubo League activists, who already took position in front of the Press Club, entered the premise wielding sticks.
Some senior journalists of the National Press Club brought the situation under control nearly 15 minutes after the clash broke out between the arch-rivals.
In the meantime, BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul and his associates took shelter at the room of the Press Club secretary.
Criticising the BNP’s event, Prime Minister’s Information Affairs Secretary and senior journalist Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury said the Press Club was meant for only journalists to perform professional duties. “Political personalities are welcome here only to share greetings and we would entertain them but it doesn’t mean that Press Club can be used for political activities,” he said.
“We condemn the vandalising of the martyrs’ nameplate by the BNP men,” he said adding that only the anti-independence party could do such an act.
When asked, Press Club General Secretary Syed Abdal Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that it was nothing but a minor brawl and they had already settled the issue after talking with senior journalists.
A large number of police was deployed in front of the Press Club, where Mirza Fakhrul was still staying till filing of this report at 1:30am.
