A police official was hurt when alleged Chhatra League activists hurled stones targeting the motorcade of Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Haque amid stringent security in Bijoynagar upazila of Brahmanbaria yesterday.
With injuries to his head and forehead, Officer-in-Charge Imtiaz Ahmed of Nabinagar Police Station was taken to Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital.
The incident took place around 1:00pm near the upazila’s Chandura Bus Stand on Dhaka-Sylhet highway after the minister left a programme venue.
The district administration on Saturday midnight imposed section 144 in four upazilas — Brahmanbaria sadar, Ashuganj, Bijoynagar and Sorail — after local Awami League called hartal ahead of the minister’s visit.
Leaders and activists of local AL and its affiliated bodies in Bijoynagar became furious and enforced hartal after they came to know that lawmaker Obaidul Muktadir of Brahmanbaria-3 constituency was not invited to the minister’s programme.
The administration deployed two platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh and members of the Rapid Action Battalion and Armed Police Battalion and additional 150 policemen in Bijoynagar for security.
Additional District Magistrate in Brahmanbaria Mohammad Shahanur Alam said section 144 was imposed from 6:00am to 12:00midnight as tension brewed ahead of the minister’s visit.
Activists of local Awami League took positions at several points in Chandura, defying section 144. When the minister’s motorcade was passing by, agitated Chhatra League activists tried to bring out a procession holding up shoes, said Ali Arshad, officer-in-charge of Bijoynagar police.
At that time law enforcers tried to stop them. As the protestors hurled stones, OC Imtiaz suffered injuries.
Meanwhile, Minister Sayedul attended an event at Champak Nagar of Bijoynagar where he inaugurated Upazila Livestock Hospital around noon.
Followers of local Lawmaker Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury had taken positions near the clinic and staged a demonstration chanting slogans against the minister, reports our correspondent who was present there.
On Thursday, they held a press conference where they announced a boycott of the minister’s event and called for dawn-to-dusk hartal. The next day Chhatra League activists allegedly beat up the upazila livestock officer and vandalised his office.
The central Chhatra League yesterday suspended the functioning of its Brahmanbaria unit due to its involvement in the chaos centring on the minister’s visit.
