Three arrested with weapons over BNP factional clash in Raozan

Nine sustain bullet injuries in three clashes in Raozan and Chattogram city

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has confirmed the arrest of three people in connection with clashes between the rival factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Chattogram’s Raozan Upazila that left five people shot.

The arrests were made early on Friday in the Chandanpura area under the Chawkbazar Police Station in the port city.

The detainees are Istiak Chowdhury Ovi (38), Md Jony (38), and Mahmudul Haque Jacky (35). Ovi is the general secretary of the Raozan Upazila unit of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, the youth front of the BNP.

RAB-7 Commanding Officer Lt Col Hafizur Rahman said three were arrested with a foreign-made pistol in their possession. The firearm, seized with a magazine and four rounds of bullets, was used during the clash.

The gunfight took place between two groups of the BNP on Wednesday night at Kuiyapara in Bagowan Union of Raozan Upazila.

Those who were shot during the clash are Abdullah, general secretary of the Raozan unit of Sramik Dal, the BNP’s labour wing; Ismail, vice president of the Bagowan Union unit of Krishak Dal; Rabiul, vice president of the union’s Jubo Dal; Sohel, a BNP activist; and Khorshed Alam, joint secretary of the union’s Sramik Dal.

After the incident, Jasim Uddin, president of the Raozan Upazila BNP, told reporters that the attack, led by Ovi, the Upazila Jubo Dal general secretary, was made on them when they were returning home after attending a preparatory meeting for the party’s National Revolution and Solidarity Day.

Local residents said the gunfight occurred between supporters of Ghulam Akbar Khondkar, convener of the now-defunct Chattogram North District BNP committee, and followers of Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury, the suspended vice-chairman of the BNP.

All those injured are reportedly followers of Ghulam Akbar Khondkar.

When asked about the political affiliation of the arrestees, the RAB-7 chief said, “The incident started as a quarrel and then escalated into a fight and a shooting incident. For us, the criminal aspect of the event is what matters—not their political identity.”

Referring to another incident in the city’s Chalitataly area under Bayezid Bostami Police Station on Thursday evening, the RAB officer said a suspect named Arman Ali Raj had been arrested for allegedly shooting a rickshaw-puller.

Hafizur Rahman said that a total of nine people were shot in three separate incidents that took place in Raozan and Chattogram City on Wednesday and Thursday.

In total, six suspects have been arrested so far—two in the Sarwar murder case, three in the Raozan shooting, and one in the rickshaw-puller shooting incident, he said.