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Published : 25 Mar 2025, 12:13 AM
A clash and running battles have ensued between the leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and National Citizen Party (NCP) in Noakhali’s Hatia.
The NCP claimed that over 50 of their leaders, including Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud, had been injured in an attack allegedly by BNP members.
The BNP, however, said 30 of its activists had been injured during the clash.
Violence erupted on Monday evening at Jahazmara Bazar in the Upazila.
After the confrontation, Hannan told the media that they were talking to the local residents when a few “expelled” BNP members entered their meeting with a procession and swooped on them.
He said three of the injured were taken to the Hatia Upazila Health Complex for treatment.
According to Hannan's supporters, the group arrived from the western side of the market and carried out the attack while he was addressing the rally.
They claimed the attackers had tried to hit Hannan, but they chased them off.
Upazila BNP Joint General Secretary Lutfullahil Majid Nishan said Abdur Rob, the convener of the Upazila Jatiyabadi Krishak Dal, was beaten up before the evening.
In protest, BNP leaders and activists held a rally in Jahazmara Bazar.
“The procession, moving from the western side to the eastern side of the market, crossed Hannan Masud’s rally, leading to tensions between both sides,” he added.
Police said that even at midnight, leaders from the BNP and NCP remained positioned on opposite sides of the market.
NCP leaders had gathered on the eastern side, while BNP leaders were stationed on the western side, with both groups intermittently shouting slogans.
Around 12:30am on Tuesday, Hatia Police Station chief AKM Azmal Huda confirmed that the two sides were still engaged in a standoff across the market. Police, along with Navy and Coast Guard personnel, were deployed in the middle, working to deescalate tensions and restore order.
