Jamaat candidate and his armed supporters attack BNP rally in Pabna

District Corresspondent

Jamaat candidate himself and his armed supporters attacked BNP’s election campaign in Ishwardi, Pabna.

BNP’s statement: The attack was carried out under the leadership of Jamaat’s nominated MP candidate Abu Taleb Mondal. More than 50 BNP leaders and activists were injured and are undergoing treatment. BNP has condemned and protested the incident.

There is excitement surrounding this incident.

A statement signed by BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday, November 27, midnight, said that local armed men of Jamaat had planned and carried out attacks on BNP leaders and activists and ordinary people. Abu Taleb Mandal directly led this.

The statement further said that during the election campaign, Jamaat leaders and activists used religious allusions and “tickets to paradise”-type statements, which led to protests by local people. They were then attacked. Similarly, BNP’s peaceful campaign was also ambushed, Rizvi said.

A photo of a young man firing a gun during the clash has been circulating on social media, Facebook. The photo circulating on Facebook shows a young man wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, raising a pistol in his right hand and firing a gun amidst a crowd of people on the street.

Sahapur Union Krishak Dal President Makkel Mridha said that the name of the young man who opened fire was Tushar Hossain. His home is in Velupara Mohalla of Ishwardi Municipality. He is a Jamaat-Shibir activist. Several BNP members were injured in his shooting.

BNP said that a photograph published in a newspaper showed Jamaat activist Tushar participating in the attack with a firearm. However, it was also alleged that some media outlets were spreading misleading information to portray the incident in a different light.

The statement said the incident of violence was a reflection of Jamaat’s “extremist tendencies”. BNP is committed to maintaining a peaceful political environment, but restraint should not be mistaken for weakness.

The party believes that if the national elections are uncertain, the path to democratic progress will be hindered.

Finally, BNP demanded that the incident be properly investigated and the real culprits brought to justice, and that the government take effective measures to keep the elections peaceful.